The WPL 2026 will commence on January 9.
Going through a tough 14-month recovery from shin splints, a wrist injury, and a broken thumb, cricketer Shreyanka Patil says tips from India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah on yorkers and injury recovery helped her get back on track. The 23-year-old off-spinner is rejoining Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for the upcoming WPL 2026 season, which begins this Friday, January 9.
Shreyanka Patil asserted that her chats with Bumrah during her rehabilitation at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru were crucial. Shreyanka’s injury forced her to miss out on WPL 2025, the Sri Lanka tri-series, the England tour, and the recently concluded India’s ODI World Cup 2025 win at home.
Having spent about a year in rehabilitation, Shreyanka had started to feel isolated at one point. However, discussions with India teammates Asha Sobhana and Amanjot Kaur and men’s cricketers T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, Riyan Parag, Mayank Yadav, and her India teammates at the CoE helped her regain her stride.
“I thought it would be a couple of months; I never thought it’d be over a year away from the field,” Shreyanka said in a recent online media session. “I wasn’t talking to anyone at the start. I locked myself in a room for two or three months. That wasn’t me. I’m usually very bubbly. But talking to people made me realise I wasn’t alone.”
During the period, Shreyanka also had a conversation with Bumrah, who had missed three months of cricket at the start of 2025 due to injury. Her perspectives began to change when Bumrah spoke to her about the technicalities in great depth and how to bounce back from injuries.
“I had questions on pressure bowling and yorker practice,” Shreyanka revealed. “But Bumrah reassured me. ‘Everyone faces this, so don’t fight it, embrace it at your young age.'”
Shreyanka has finally recovered from the injury and has featured in the WCPL and the domestic season for Karnataka. She has also worked on a number of technicalities with her off-spin, batting and fitness during a month-long conditioning camp at the academy she trains at in the off-season.
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Shreyanka Patil was touched that Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) retained her ahead of the WPL 2026 mega auction, even though her time with Barbados Royals in the Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) marked her first game since last September.
“My mind went blank; they believed in my skill after 14 months out,” she said, giving credit to coach Malolan Rangarajan and her personal guide Arjun Dev.
With the WPL 2026 just two days away, Shreyanka would hope to contribute to the side’s success and lead RCB to their second trophy triumph.
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