Minnu Mani was a batter when she started playing cricket and made her debut for Kerala's senior team at 15. But as she rose through the ranks, she realised having a second skill will help. So, in the Under-19 camps, she started working on her bowling as well. Little did she know that she would break into the WPL and India team as a bowling allrounder.
In the inaugural WPL auction, both Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore bid for Mani, who listed herself as an allrounder. Her base price was INR 10 lakh, and RCB raised it before Capitals eventually selected her for INR 30 lakh (approx. US $36,192). The presence of Biju George, Capitals' fielding coach who has also coached Kerala, at the auction table, only helped. In WPL 2023, Mani, who is a left-hander while batting and bowls offspin, bowled all of three overs in the season. She batted in two games and made only three appearances overall.
Mani received a maiden T20I call-up for the tour of Bangladesh in what was India's first international assignment after the 2023 Women's T20 World Cup. She made her debut in the first T20I, and finished the three-match series with five wickets but did not get too many chances with the bat.
Mani was the first woman from Kerala to play for India. The municipality of Mananthavady in Wayanad district, where she hails from, celebrated it by naming the main junction after her.
She came into WPL 2024 after leading Kerala to a semi-final finish in the Senior Women's T20 Trophy, where she picked up seven wickets in eight games. But after two wicketless outings in the first three matches, she was left out of the XI. Which is when the Capitals captain Meg Lanning came to help her.
"Meg Lanning came to me and helped me with my bowling," Mani told ESPNcricinfo after Capitals sealed a direct entry to the WPL final for the second year in a row. "When I was going through my spot-bowling routines, she guided me. She kept her cap on the spot and asked me to land the ball around that area. She explained to me what could be expected of me in a match scenario, and asked me to execute plans during those sessions. That boosted my confidence, self-belief - everything."
Mani was brought back for Capitals' last league match against Gujarat Giants, and she picked up her first wickets in the WPL. She tossed one up and gone it to rip through Ashleigh Gardner's defence to knock her over. In her next over, a ball after being hit for a six, she bowled a quicker one and had Phoebe Litchfield caught at mid-on. Two overs, nine runs, two wickets - the back of Giants' batting broken; job done for Capitals.
"After taking my first WPL wicket, I was so happy because I did not do well when I got chances early on, and was then sitting out for a few games," Mani says. "Lanning and coach Lisa Keightley were constantly working on my bowling, and so in the game against Giants, I tried to do what we worked on, and was delighted to get the result."
Mani belongs to the Kurichiya tribe, where girls aren't always allowed to leave the house or mingle and play with the boys. It was Elasamma Baby, her physical education teacher in school, who first spotted her talent and enrolled her into the Wayanad District Cricket Association. Until then, Mani had only played with her cousins in the paddy fields. She practiced hard before and after school - even on Sundays - in the guise of "extra classes". Her parents came to know of it only after she was selected for Wayanad district.
Mani's hometown of Mananthavady did not have training facilities; she had to go to Krishnagiri for coaching, which was one-and-a-half hours away. She had to change four buses to reach the stadium. The coaches there, as well as the Kerala Cricket Association secretary, also spotted her talent and asked her to enroll herself into the Kerala Cricket Academy, which also had hostel facilities. That enabled her to manage cricket as well as studies.
Mani took care of the cricket but continued facing challenges off the field. Like the Kerala floods of 2018. While it had little impact on her cricket - the Wayanad District Cricket Association had arranged for her stay in the stadium to avoid travelling - the house her family was building was washed away due to a landslide. WPL then changed her life for the better.
"For us, it's a huge amount because we can't dream of it," Mani says of her INR 30 lakh deal. "My parents had taken a loan from the bank to build the house. But after the basement was built, the landslide washed it away. After the WPL, I also got my match fees for state games, and I also played for India. So I earned a little more money than every year, which was a big shock for my parents because they had only dreamt of these amounts. We used the money to clear the debts, and thanks to the WPL, our financial worries have reduced."
The WPL not only helped Mani improve her cricket but also her communication skills. She had grown up watching Lanning lead and do well for Australia. When she came to Capitals' set-up, Mani was quiet.
"There was a bit of language problem for me, so I was not talking properly or sharing anything to anyone. This year I feel much better and comfortable, and have improved my [English] language also. So I am able to speak with all the foreign players," she says with a smile.
"At the same time, I am getting to learn more about myself and my game, and am coming out of my [comfort] zone. There has also been a difference in performance after meeting Lanning. She always makes her players comfortable, and keeps things simple - in the match as well at practice. She used to tell us that don't think too much or don't complicate yourself; just keep it simple and focus on the process."
Capitals fell short in the inaugural season, and they now have another shot at a WPL title. Whether Mani lines up in the XI or not, her parents will have an eye on the TV to watch her team in action. And that is a far cry from the days where she had to hide her cricketing interests from them.