New Delhi: She may not have gotten a chance to showcase her explosive batting skills yet but Rahila Firdous has still managed to catch the eyes of viewers during the Women’s Premier League. So much so that she is being seen as a refreshing upgrade in wicket-keeping standards across the league.
The 27-year-old engineer, who is also Madhya Pradesh’s captain, grew up in Bhopal and was drawn to cricket long before she understood what professional cricket looked like for women. Interestingly, even her featuring in Mumbai Indians’ playing XI was a result of an injury to G Kamalini, the other wicket-keeper batter option in the squad.
In the two matches she has played, she has made an impact in glovework. Her journey was unplanned, instinctive but quietly assured.
“I used to watch boys play and found it so fascinating,” she told HT before the start of the season. Every opportunity she found, she made sure she played wherever she could: in mohallas, gardens and parks, often with boys, chasing joy rather than structure.
“I just loved the game. Even when I went to my grandmother’s house for vacation, I took my bat and ball along. But I didn’t even know that something like professional cricket for women existed.”
Wicketkeeping entered her life almost by accident. When Rahila joined an academy around the age of 19, she was just another eager newcomer, trying to find her place. During a fielding drill that required staying low, she spent the entire session crouched, focused, alert.
“Coach asked us to field in a bending position. I did that for the entire duration,” she said. “On the second day, he said I must keep wickets. That’s how it started.”
What followed was not a forced transition but a natural fit. Even during the two games against Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Rahila’s wicketkeeping showed that it was built on stillness. She consistently stays low and longer than most, letting the ball come to her, trusting her hands.
She pouched a clean catch off Shabnim Ismail’s bowling that Grace Harris had nicked. She followed it up with another stunning catch that Georgia Voll under-edged on the sweep. The ball was dipping but Rahila stayed low and managed to cling on.
In the previous match against DC, she was crucial in Lizelle Lee’s dismissal. The umpires took well over five minutes to come to a conclusion but Rahila did well to collect the ball, lunge and whip the bails off whilst Lee’s bat was in the air.
“The most important thing in wicket-keeping is patience,” she explained. “You have to be ready every ball, whether the game is going slow or fast.”
At Mumbai Indians, Rahila finds herself in an environment that values talent. It took her a while to break into the WPL and the auction was, understandably, one of the most emotional moments of her career.
“I have played finals, lifted trophies,” she said, “But the way my heartbeat raced during the auction was unprecedented.” When Mumbai Indians called her name, she broke down. “The moment my name was announced, I cried my heart out.”
The tears were not just for herself – it was for her mother and sister who encouraged Rahila despite resistance from those around her. “Log kya bolte hain, woh main bachpan se ignore karti aayi hoon,” she said firmly. “Only those two mattered. Agar woh bolte ruk jao, toh main ruk jaati. Warna main aage badhti rahi.”
Rahila is aware that the WPL can change everything. If she does well here, the gate to the Indian women’s team opens. But she is also aware of the competition she must face to be able to do that. Richa Ghosh is already a proven match-winner for India and with Uma Chhetry and Kamalini being looked at as the back-up options by the Indian management, Rahila’s journey might not be straightforward.
For now though, she is grateful to be part of a system that has given her recognition. “It’s well known how Mumbai Indians unearths raw talents and nurtures them over time, the biggest examples being Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah,” she said. “It gives hope and belief that things will be good in the future as well.”
