Women's Premier League has been a game changer for the way women's cricket was ever viewed. It has massively helped the spectators to know more about women's cricket. With the increased viewership and game awareness, the league has served it's purpose to shed some light on the talented daughters of India who were grinding hard, but not much known to the masses. And the result of it was a lot of unknown names were seen taking the center stage. The likes of Sajana Sajeevan, Asha Shobhana and many others are now household names because of WPL. But the one name which stands tall amongst all, and who fits perfectly for the role in Indian team, is Poonam Khemnar.

Boasting of a sublime bat swing, she has the habit of hitting long sixes. Her bat speed like a tracer bullet blended with her strength sends the ball long back into the stands. Her reading of the game is immaculate and her ability to adapt to the situations even under immense pressure is highly commendable. A perfect finisher as termed by many, she can turn the tide anytime in her team's favour by shifting gears rapidly. In a nutshell, she is the ideal contender for the Indian team who is in search of a specialist finisher. Her instincts in WPL made her a household name. And her journey made her capable of the success she enjoys today.

Her journey from a small village, to being a nationwide sensation is certainly inspiring. Born to a middle class background in Ashwee Khurd, a small village in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, the little girl was always fascinated by the game of cricket. Initially she had to play with the boys, as the girls in her village didn't play the game. She received a lot of flak for doing the same. But how will she stop playing the game she loves. The game she earlier played was not professional, it was purely for joy and satisfaction. Along with playing the game, she also did the hard yards in the fields and aided her parents with their work. She fondly says that she did all the ground level work and often carried 50-60 kgs weight on her shoulders effortlessly, which developed the strength in her arms.

But still she was far away from professional cricket. The developed strength pushed her to pursue boxing as there was hardly any place where she could find a women's cricket team. And she greatly excelled in boxing getting tons of medals. In spite of the medals in boxing, she wanted to play cricket. She asked her college authorities and students of her college by going class to class in a dire attempt to form a cricket team for women. But she was dejected as her request didn't work out. Then one fine day, when she visited a college for her boxing tournament, she saw girls playing professional cricket in the nets. Instantly her eyes lit up and she saw the opportunity.

She requested the coach of that college to play in the nets, who hesitantly accepted. Eager to show her potential, Poonam them effortlessly hit a lot of balls, which instantly impressed the coach. This was the first ever time she played professional cricket with a leather ball, and she recalls by saying that batting with a pad was a nuisance back then. And then she never looked back. With a lot of struggle, at times with meagre meals late night, she kept hustling hard and gradually landed up a place in Maharashtra senior squad. But excess competition in Maharashtra meant she hardly got any chance to bat and showcase what she wants. So in an attempt to utilise her potential she decided to take a difficult decision of leaving her home team. That's when Nagaland were looking for a technically strong batter who can hit long sixes. And there came a turning point in her life.

She grabbed the opportunity with both her hands, and took Kiran Navgire and Gautami Naik to play along with her for Nagaland. The trio's presence massively aided the Nagaland team, as they were no more considered to be amateurs. While playing for them, Punam became the first centurion for the Nagaland team. She fondly recollects every moment she spent there and loved how the responsibility of carrying the team forward shaped her as a person. She used to anchor the innings from one end, which gave a free hand to Navgire who would then launch a scathing attack on the opponent team. Punam had additional responsibility as the Naga girls were amateur and it meant she had to carry the team by playing maximum balls herself.

But she happily did it. She became the top scorer in the tournament on multiple occasions. Her leadership saw all of the Nagaland team turn into one successful family, who would celebrate every single accolade of every team member with the pride. And it massively yielded results as one saw Nagaland qualifying in the knockouts for the very first time in the history of domestic circuits. Their team with the stars like Khemnar also defeated tough teams like Hyderabad. It was the presence of the three daughters of Maharashtra, who were scaling new heights in Nagaland team due to which all the opponent teams took them seriously and didn't consider them to be a rookie team. On one side, their individual personal development happened to a greater extent, but more importantly their presence did wonders for Nagaland, which now is an established team.

And her performance was very well noticed by the critics and the giants of the game. Poonam Khemnar by then got a habit of grabbing the headlines due to her performances. The same time, draft of WPL was proposed. And the scouts were looking out for players who can shift gears quickly and with ease. And RCB scouted her and gave her the well deserved opportunity for 2023 IPL. Being a forever RCB fan, she was overjoyed and her happiness knew no bounds. She was a part of the team consisting of Elyse Perry, Sophie Devine, Smriti Mandhana and others, which she says was a great chance for her to learn. And although she didn't get many chances, she got the opportunity to meet her idol Virat Kohli, who was the reason why she started to play at the first place.

She was dropped from RCB for 2024 WPL, but what she learnt in RCB camp including the valuable suggestions from players like Virat, she put to use in domestic circuit where she ended up being in the list of top scorers. And with what she had done, it was hardly a doubt that the franchises won't be chasing her. And rightly so, UP Warroirz, who also wanted her earlier took the opportunity to get her into the squad. And hence one saw her featuring in the UP Warriorz side alongside her friend Kiran Navgire, and captain Alyssa Healy. And she made it count. Her cameo against RCB, almost won the match for her team, but more importantly it did the job of making her a household name.

Everyone was in awe of her hitting prowess. Her bat swing immediately captivated the minds of all the cricket fans. And her ability to hit sixes long back into the stands mesmerized everyone. Her textbook shots were a treat to watch, and her long sixes and unorthodox 360 degree shots were even more pleasing to the eyes. Her ability of adapting to the situations, and launching an attack on opposition were highly applauded by the fans. And everyone just wondered, that Indian team definitely lacks someone like her who can do what she did in this WPL. And in all possibilities, she looks like the perfect finisher which Women in Blue want, and going ahead if she continues to do the same, then it's only a matter of time before we see her in the Blues.

And that's exactly what she dreams about. While having a conversation with her she said that everyday and every night, she dreams of getting that blue jersey. Little does she know that it's not just her dream, but is also a dream of all of us who wish to see her at that place where she really belongs. An extremely strong contender for the finisher spot, she deserves it more than anyone else. A strong backlift, lightning fast bat speed, immaculate bat swing and a good reader of the ball, she is capable of doing wonders at the highest level, where we wish to see her. She is undoubtedly a great batter, but more importantly she is a great human being who is connected to her roots deeply. And hence, even after scaling heights, she fondly remembers all those people who've helped her during her tough times. Beneath that strong woman, is a little girl who aspires to make the nation proud. And we wish to see her do the same. Today, on her 30th birthday, we pray to God that all her wishes come true and that she continues to inspire many other women to take up the sport. Happy birthday Poonam.

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