Navi Mumbai, Jan 10 (IANS) With the Mumbai Indians’ squad witnessing a slight shuffle after the WPL 2026 mega auction, their curtain raiser against Royal Challengers Bengaluru saw G. Kamalini open the batting lineup for the two-time champions alongside Amelia Kerr, and head coach Lisa Keightley was all praises for the youngster and dubbed her a ‘fantastic player.’

During World Premier League (WPL) 2025, Kamalini was included in MI’s playing XI for their league match against Gujarat Giants at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara, making her at 16 years and 213 days old the youngest player ever to play in the tournament. She also got to bat after Nat Sciver-Brunt was dismissed and executed a well-timed cut for a boundary on the first ball she faced.

On Friday, Kamalini scored a 28-ball 32 while opening the lineup for the two-time champions and formed crucial partnerships with Kerr, Sciver, and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur.

Speaking of her performance after the game, head coach Keightley said, “She is extremely talented. I saw her in her state matches where she dominated. I thought she did extremely well for her first hit out. It’s exciting to see what she’s going to do in this competition if that is the level she’s going to start at. I see her having a great tournament, going from strength to strength and building on what she did out there today. Very exciting time. Glad that she is on our team. She is a fantastic player for MI. I think she’ll do really well in this competition.”

When asked what makes the youngster so special, the former Australian cricketer said, “Truly exciting. To me, her game is really sound. She plays spin and seam really well. We saw her dominate spin; she’s going to face world-class bowlers in this competition. She’s going to get better and better, potentially with teams bowling quickly at her. She has handled that really well in the nets with Nat and Shabnim, Milly Illingworth. She is training with quick bowlers to prepare for when she comes out to face the new ball. She is a great kid. She is really good around the group. She has got that carefree attitude around the group as a 17-year-old. She comes down with a big smile at breakfast. She’s lovely to work with.”

Mumbai suffered a defeat in their campaign opener as RCB clinched a thrilling final-ball victory to kick off the tournament on a high. MI will face three-time finalists Delhi Capitals in their next game, scheduled less than 24 hours after their opening game, on Saturday at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

–IANS

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