While watching the telecast of the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) public sale, Minnu Mani’s hopes started to fade when she discovered that huge stars have been going unsold. “Who is going to buy me when famous players are being overlooked?” she stated to herself.

So she was in for an enormous shock when multiple franchise took an curiosity in her. She was ultimately purchased for Rs 30 lakh by Delhi Capitals.

READ |WPL AUCTION FULL LIST OF SOLD AND UNSOLD PLAYERS

“It is a lot of money, but it is the recognition that matters,” Minnu advised Sportstar over the telephone from Hyderabad, the place she is enjoying for South Zone within the Senior Women’s Inter-Zonal One-Day event. “Though I had hopes of being part of the WPL, I had nearly given up early on in the auction.”

The 23-year-old off-spinning all-rounder had been in good kind going into the public sale. On Sunday, she made an unbeaten 74 to assist South Zone beat West Zone in Hyderabad.

READ | WPL Auction 2023 Highlights: RCB’s Mandhana costliest participant; Wolvaardt, Athapaththu go unsold

A tribal woman from Kerala’s Wayanad district, she hails from a humble background. She is the one participant from the State to get picked on the public sale.

“Though I am disappointed that other Kerala players could not make it, I am happy at least one of us is there,” Minnu stated. “And I am thrilled that I will be joining stars like Jemimah Rodrigues and Shafali Verma, with whom I have already played.”