Who is Simran Shaikh, new INR 1.9cr recruit from Gujarat Giants ahead of WPL 2025?

Simran Shaikh bagged INR 1.9 crores at the WPL Auction 2025 and became the costliest player after the first round. The 22-year-old has played for teams like Mumbai Women and UP Warriorz Women in domestic cricket and the WPL respectively. After getting unsold in the WPL Auction 2024, the middle-order batter will be playing for Gujarat Giants Women in 2025.

Simran was born on January 12, 2002, in Mumbai. From a young age, she was interested in cricket and wanted to be a professional cricketer. She grew to be a middle-order batter who could also bowl a bit of spin. Due to her performances in the local T20 league and the Challenger Trophy, Shaikh bagged eyebrows at the WPL Auction 2025.

Teams considered her to be a power hitter in the middle order. Getting such an option from India is not easy. Hence, she became one of the costliest players in the history of the WPL Auction. Gujarat Giants' management revealed the reason behind picking her.

Simran Shaikh's WPL stint with UP Warriorz Women

The 22-year-old was preferred by the Giants due to her good SR in the middle-overs phase. The emerging talent was a part of the inaugural edition of the WPL. She played for the UP Warriorz women throughout the season. She did not have a great tournament and was not picked for the 2024 season.

In the league's inaugural edition, Shaikh played 9 matches and batted 7 times. The middle-order batter could score only 29 runs at a batting average of just 5.80 and a poor batting SR of 60.41. While she took 4 catches, Simran was not impressive as a batter.

Simran is known for her fielding. Coupled with her performances in the Challenger Trophy, the franchises seemed to be interested in the talent. Her age is also a plus point. Many regard her to be a star in the making. If everything goes well, she could well make it to the Indian team which needs good middle-order batters.