Kanika of RCB Delighted with Comeback and Finisher's Role in WPL

Chandigarh: The Women’s Premier League (WPL) kicked off with a bang as Royal Challengers Bengaluru pulled off a stunning chase to defeat Gujarat Giants in Vadodara. The Giants posted a huge total of 202, thanks to stellar performances by Ashleigh Gardner (79 off 37 balls), Beth Mooney (56 off 42 balls), and Deandra Dottin (25 off 13 balls). However, Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Ellyse Perry stole the show with her brilliant knock of 57 off 34 balls to lead her team to victory.

Richa Ghosh (64* off 27) and left-handed Kanika Ahuja (30* off 13) then lit up the chase with an unbeaten 93-run partnership (off 37 balls) to achieve WPL’s highest chase ever. India stumper Ghosh’s power-packed hitting led the way, but the contribution of Ahuja, 22, who made her India debut in the 2023 Asian Games, was also about resilience.

Ahuja missed the 2024 WPL because of a back injury. Following a successful domestic season playing for Punjab, notching up two centuries in the one-day tournament, she is back in the RCB camp doing what she is best at – finishing matches.

“I am feeling very happy; playing after a year, it’s a special feeling. By doing visualisations, and whatever I did in my rehab, it helped me become a better player. I wanted to go after the balls that were in my reach. We thought we could win it if we took it to the end. Richa and Perry played brilliantly,” she said. Ahuja, who bowls off-spin, also took a wicket, removing Dayalan Hemalatha for four runs.

Ahuja had a tumultuous 2023 too. Her mother passing away after a long battle with cancer. She left a tournament while playing for Punjab and rushed home to Patiala after receiving the news.

“That was a tough time for Kanika. She believed her mother would pull through and see her play for India again. She went for the last rites and got back to the tournament after missing two matches. And then the back injury happened which kept her away from cricket for sometime. She worked hard in her rehab at the NCA; missing the WPL season was a disappointment,” Punjab senior women’s team coach Khyati Gulani said.

Ahuja had joined Railways after leaving Punjab ahead of the first WPL season but left without playing a game and returned to her state team for the 2023-24 season.

“This was the time when she wanted to be with her ailing mother more. Her death did drain her but she was focussed enough to get fit and have a successful season playing for Punjab. Last season, she showed maturity and built long innings. Her two centuries in the one-dayers showed match temperament. Also, she is a typical modern cricketer who wants to score at a fast pace and finish things off. Such a cricketer can be handy for India,” Gulani said.

It was after she impressed the selectors playing for RCB in the first WPL season that she was included in the India A team for the Emerging Asia Cup (U-23), followed by her national team selection for the 2023 Asian Games. She was named Player-of-the-Match in the Asia Cup final, scoring 30* and taking two wickets as India A won the tournament. She has played three T20Is, including two in the Asian Games where India won the gold medal, and one against England at 2023 end.

“She missed the WPL last season but was with the RCB team in the tournament. She was ecstatic when they won the title. She then made sure she regained fitness well in time for this WPL. She is a complete all-rounder, someone who can turn around things with her batting and off-break bowling,” added Gulani.

RCB teammate Ellyse Perry praised Ahuja: “Kanika missed last year due to injury, so for her to come back and make an immediate impact for the group was superb,” she said. While the big guns fired,

youngsters like Ahuja too would be keen to fire in the league and get back into the India team in the build-up to the ODI World Cup in September.

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