A Father’s Struggle, A Daughter’s Triumph: From The Slums To Rs 1.9 Crore In WPL

22-year-old Simran Shaikh, who grew up playing gully cricket in the lanes of the world’s largest slum, Dharavi, has now become the most expensive player in the 2025 Women's Premier League after being auctioned for 1.9 crores by Gujarat Giants. Simran’s love for cricket and her dream of playing for India started when she was a little child, who wasn’t even aware of the existence of women’s cricket. Read to know more about her extraordinary journey.

Simran’s Family

Simran's childhood was very humble. Her father, Jahid Ali was a lineman and her mother, Akhtari Bano, a homemaker. Unlike her 7 siblings, she had a strong inclination towards cricket and used to play with the older boys from her neighbourhood in salwar kameez. Her obsession with the sport made her drop out of school after class 10 and she dedicated most of her time to playing cricket. She soon joined the United Cricketers Club and started playing domestic cricket when she was around 17 years old. 

“I knew nothing but cricket. Not everyone was supportive of my decision except my family. I have even been hurled verbal abuses for playing cricket. But I focused my energy to improve myself,” Simran shared in an interview.

How Simran Supported Her Family

Talking about the difficult times she and her family had faced, Simran shared how she helped her family when her father had to leave his job owing to a heart condition. She explained,  “He and I are the only breadwinners in our family. At that time, we did not have enough money for his treatment. But I was able to save Rs 2 lakh by playing domestic [cricket] matches. I exhausted those savings on his treatment. There was no fixed pay for a match; I would sometimes get Rs 1,000. I knew we did not have enough resources, so I would save all my earnings.”

Facing Criticism

Simran has also opened up about facing criticism for playing cricket. “I had a very humble childhood in Dharavi, with my six siblings. My father works as a wireman – he is the only bread earner in the family besides me. They were not really convinced when I started playing, to be very honest. But as I started rising through the ranks, they eventually supported me in pursuing my dream,” she shared in an interview with The Quint.

In an interview with ANI, Simran’s father revealed, "When my daughter was small, she was interested in playing cricket. Whenever she used to play cricket on the ground, a lot of people used to scold her and say a lot of things. But my daughter ignored all the noises. She focused on cricket and continued to move forward," 

The same people who tried to hold her back are now cheering up for her. 

Future plans

Simran was asked about her future plans and whether she wanted to buy a new house and move to some other place. 

“Ghar khareedne ka nahin hain, plan to bas ek hi hain, ki India ke liye khelun. The WPL is a short tournament, but it is also a big platform, because performances in this tournament will get noticed. I want to use this to make it big. Baad me jab India ke liye khelenge, tab ghar lene ka sochenge,” she replied.

Simran has also expressed her happiness, saying “Sab Dharavi ko slum he dekhe hai. (People just look at Dharavi as a slum). But I am happy that they will now know that it has produced a cricketer too. There are lots of good cricketers in Dharavi and I hope others make it big. My main aim is to play for India one day.”

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