Chamari Athapaththu has been the flag-bearer for Sri Lankan women's cricket in the past few years. Known for her power-packed T20 cricket skills, the 33-year-old has been making waves at global tournaments such as Women's Big Bash League (WBBL), Women's Caribbean Premier League (WCPL), FairBreak Invitational and Women’s Super Smash.
However, the much-awaited T20 league of the cash-rich BCCI, Women's Premier League (WPL), had eluded her. She went unsold in the first WPL auction in 2023, leaving her surprised. The batting all-rounder -- she bats left-handed and bowls off-break -- was still confident of playing in WPL 2, but to her disbelief she was not bought by any of the five teams in the auction held in December. This surprised her more because around the auction time, she was slaying bowlers playing for Sydney Thunder in the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL).
As luck would have it, she was included in the UP Warriorz team as replacement for England pacer Lauren Bell, who pulled out to play for her national side. Athapaththu, who comes in at her base price of ₹30 lakh, can now tick another box in her list of top women T20 leagues by joining the star-studded team ahead of the WPL 2, starting on February 23.
"I was surprised no team picked me in the WPL auction. But these things are not in my control. I think of what I can control because these decisions are taken by someone else, some coaches or some management. What I can control is my batting, my bowling. I just want to do what I can do. Actually, rejection is a kind of motivation for me. Because I can learn from that and show what I can do," Athapaththu said in a media interaction.
{{/usCountry}}"I was surprised no team picked me in the WPL auction. But these things are not in my control. I think of what I can control because these decisions are taken by someone else, some coaches or some management. What I can control is my batting, my bowling. I just want to do what I can do. Actually, rejection is a kind of motivation for me. Because I can learn from that and show what I can do," Athapaththu said in a media interaction.
{{/usCountry}}Interestingly, Athapaththu was also left out when the overseas draft took place ahead of WBBL before being drafted in as replacement player by Sydney Thunder Women. She smashed 552 runs -- second highest tally for the season -- and took nine wickets at an economy of 6.83. The top-scorer Beth Mooney, who is part of the Gujarat Giants team, was the top run-getter by just five runs.
UP Warriorz will rely on Athapaththu in the top order and hope to secure a berth in the final.
It will be interesting to see how Athapaththu gets into the playing XI with captain Alyssa Healy, Danni Wyatt, Tahlia McGrath, Grace Harris and Sophie Ecclestone the other overseas cricketers. Only four overseas players are allowed in the eleven, with a fifth permitted if she is from an Associate nation.
"I know Alyssa Healy is an opener; my favourite Danni Wyatt is also an opener, even Tahlia McGrath can open, Grace Harris opens for Brisbane Heat in WBBL. We have to adjust, and the important thing is to pitch in for the team. If the coaches and team need me to, I am happy to bat everywhere between Nos. 1-6. I can do anything for my team, I am always a team player," said the cricketer who has played 122 T20Is and 98 ODIs for Sri Lanka and will turn 34 on Friday.
UP Warriorz take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in the opening WPL 2 game on February 24 in Bengaluru while defending champions Mumbai Indians will clash with Delhi Capitals in the first tie on February 23.
"These leagues are important, not just for me but also for all cricketers around the world. Some people think these leagues are all about the money, but it is not like that. We can share our knowledge and culture with other players. Like, I can share the dressing room with the world’s best cricketers. People in Sri Lanka will definitely watch WPL 2 for me," said Athapaththu, who led Supernovas when the Women’s T20 Challenge took place in Jaipur in 2019.
"I don’t want to take any pressure on my shoulders, and rather enjoy my time in the middle. It’s a competition and I want to take one game at a time. I will try and keep things simple and play my natural game. I grabbed my chance in WBBL and will look to do the same at WPL," added the opener, whose participation will spice up the contests in WPL 2.