Niki and Rana show new facet of brave and aggressive hitting as they upped their game to push Gujarat Giants to the limit.
Niki Prasad and Sneh Rana show off brave, new power-hitting range.
The match on Tuesday was the ideal demonstration of the deeper level of Indian domestic women’s cricket and how the WPL has raised the bar.
It got you thinking: might chases like the one in front of a record 86,534 spectators at the MCG on the night of the 2020 T20 World Cup final have turned out differently if similar clarity and conviction had existed earlier?
An equation that specified “60 off 24” would have seemed nearly impossible even a few years ago. A barrage of borders could have, at most, narrowed the margin of loss. The level of belief shown by Niki Prasad and Sneh Rana was unexpected. That’s against two of the best international players in the women’s game, Ash Gardner and Sophie Devine. Not a chance.
Prasad was attempting to establish himself in the Under-19 circuit until a year ago. Unlike the group of Richa Ghosh and Shafali Verma, who had prior international experience prior to their Under-19 World Cup victory, Prasad did not receive immediate notice and did not have the performances, even though she led India to the junior World Cup title.
She actually had trouble in WPL 2025 as she attempted to change from being the touch player that she was. Shafali, Meg Lanning, Jemimah Rodrigues, Marizanne Kapp, and Annabel Sutherland were among the formidable batting lineup that she had to contend with. Her role as a floater in the lower middle order required her to develop her power game, increase her range of shots, and—above all—improve her angles.
The case of Sneh Rana is even more intriguing. She sat at home at the age of thirty, unsold at the previous year’s auction, and wondered how she could get better at T20. She hired a trainer and a facility where she could spend as much time as she wanted hitting balls without interruption. She would bowl for hours in addition to hitting hundreds of balls.
Her career was then abruptly altered by a late injury call-up to RCB. She took the most runs off an over in the WPL—Deepti Sharma, no less—by smashing 26 off six balls when she needed 43 from 12 against UP Warriorz. This led to an exciting final over. Although RCB lost, Rana’s career path was altered.
She was in high demand at the auction this time after being called up by India shortly after the WPL and playing a part in their World Cup victory. Tuesday night served as a reminder that no goal is too huge when Rana is present. She muscled two fours and a six off Gardner to start the 19th over, displaying the hacks to the leg side, the crisp bat swing as she stepped out, and the awareness to target the smaller pockets.
As an Indian cricket fan, you prayed that this wouldn’t result in a loss, but Prasad’s failure to hit the four DC required off the penultimate ball ultimately did. However, Prasad later disclosed that the unshakeable belief was the refreshing component.
Prasad was a winner. Rana was a winner. Even on a night when their team lost in agonising fashion, the silver lining is that at least DC are still in the race and have one final shot at making the playoffs.