From U-19 skipper to WPL star: Niki Prasad's successful journey

Chandigarh: Niki Prasad led India to victory in the U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup just two weeks ago, but it was the top-order batters and bowlers who stole the spotlight in Malaysia. Despite her crucial role in guiding the team to an unbeaten run and the title, the No. 4 batter had limited opportunities at the crease, showcasing the dominance of the top order.

On Saturday evening, the player from Karnataka finally got a chance to show her composure and batting skills, and Prasad delivered for Delhi Capitals in a thrilling two-wicket win off the last ball against Mumbai Indians in Vadodara.

The 19-year-old scored a composed 33-ball 35, lifting DC after they had slipped to 76/4 chasing a modest victory target of 165. Her partnership with Alice Capsey and staying put till leaving the team with two runs to get off the last two deliveries fetched her the Player-of-the-Match award.

“This is the first game for me in WPL. I wanted to go out there and express myself and make sure DC won. I visualised before the match, knew what I had to do, got it done. The situation we were in, just singles would not have been enough. I wanted to get calculative boundaries along with the singles. Looking at the big players and legends, I am excited and motivated to give my best,” said Prasad, who batted at No.6.

Having missed selection for the first U-19 World Cup because of her modest strike rate, Prasad took a break from the game and focused on studies. She worked on her hitting skills and was handed captaincy for the victorious U-19 Asia Cup and U-19 World Cup campaigns.

“Niki is a very intelligent cricketer. Her communication skills and the way she backed her teammates in the World Cup was enormous. She could not get many chances to bat in the Asia Cup and World Cup as mostly the Indian top-order would be at the crease. Whatever days she got to practice with DC she made the most of it. I was a bit surprised to see her in the playing XI against MI. She played with utmost calmness and hit those four boundaries in crunch situations,” said India’s U-19 team coach Nooshin-Al-Khadeer.

Prasad was the top-scorer in the 2024 T20 Challenger Trophy with 162 runs in four matches at a strike-rate of 125.58. She was bought by DC in the WPL auction for ₹10 lakh. Her impressive performance on WPL debut

“She is mentally very strong and I am sure after this knock, captain Meg Lanning is going to back her in all the matches. She should use the WPL platform and aim to break into the Indian team. She has it in her,” added Nooshin.

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