"11 people live in two rooms. Now, we will buy a good house" - Simran Shaikh's father reacts after daughter gets ₹1.9 crore bid at WPL 2025 auction
Mumbai batter Simran Shaikh's father Jahid got emotional after his daughter fetched a whopping ₹1.9 crore bid at the WPL 2025 auction in Bengaluru on Sunday, December 15. Opening up on the family's struggles, the wireman said that 11 members currently live in one room. He, however, added that due to his daughter they can now move into a good house and live a decent life.
On somewhat unexpected lines, Simran ended up being the most expensive buy at the WPL 2025 auction held in Bengaluru on Sunday. While she was purchased by Gujarat Giants (GT) for ₹1.9 crore, West Indies' Deandra Dottin was also sold to the Gujarat franchise for ₹1.7 crore. Sixteen-year-old G Kamalini was third on the list of most expensive buys. She was sold to Mumbai Indians (MI) for ₹1.6 crore.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Simran's father opened up on how he is optimistic of fortunes smiling on the family after years of struggle.
“Zindagi bhar yeh gali-kuchar mein nikal diya. Zhopde mein rahe. (Our whole lives we have lived near narrow lanes with open gutters in the slum). Eleven people in our family live in two rooms. Now with this money we will buy a good house and live a decent life. Thank God I didn’t listen to friends who told me to dissuade Simran from playing cricket," Jahid said.
On the other hand, Simran hailed her father for never stopping her from playing cricket despite the family's financial condition and all the opposition he faced. The 22-year-old told The Indian Express:
“Coming from a Muslim family and being underprivileged, it wasn’t an easy choice to play cricket. I remember people telling my father, ‘Jahid, kya kar raha hai tu (What are you doing?). It is time she learns ghar ka kaam (household work). Sports won’t get her anywhere. But my father didn’t ask me to stop playing. Today the same people have come to congratulate our family.”
Simran represented UP Warriorz (UPW) in WPL 2023. She had a forgettable season, managing only 29 runs in seven innings, with a best of 11. She was released by the franchise and did not feature in WPL 2024.
Simran Shaikh's performance in T20 cricket
Simran featured in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy this season for Mumbai. The right-handed batter scored 176 runs at a strike rate of 100.57 and impressed with her boundary-hitting skills.
In the recent T20 Challenger Trophy, she represented Team E. The youngster struck six fours and seven sixes in the 40 balls she faced across five innings and had an excellent strike rate of 202.50.