Minnu is a tribal girl who lives in Kerala’s Mananthavady district’s Wayanad district. Since eighth grade, she has never stopped playing cricket.
If a player comes from a humble background, breaking barriers and going against the flow to achieve goals could potentially make or break their career.
Minnu Mani, a 24-year-old all-rounder from Kerala, has always known that she wants to play cricket for India no matter what. In contrast, she was compelled to fail.
Minnu, a young woman from Mananthavady in Kerala’s Wayanad region, began playing cricket in eighth grade and has continued to do so ever since. She is a member of a young family. She commuted six days per week and traveled more than 80 kilometers in multiple modes of transportation to get to the closest preparation office.
Since she was so committed to her game and never surrendered, Minnu chose to play for the Delhi Capitals. She is the only state player competing in the inaugural WPL season. She was purchased by the franchise at an auction for Rs 30 lakh. In a private interview, she told PTI, “For me, it is a really big opportunity to make my parents proud.” Regarding her selection, she stated, “I would like to thank the Delhi Capitals, as I am the only player from Kerala to have been selected.”
Indeed, any young child interested in playing the sport at a higher level would be enticed by the opportunity and rewards. Minnu, on the other hand, was instructed to investigate the possibility of participating in cricket practice by attending additional home classes. Because of this, she was forced to choose between continuing her education and pursuing a different career path. When I first started playing cricket, my family did not support me. You can’t do this” and “This is a men’s down, you can’t play it” were their words to her. “However, in the eighth grade, I began coaching cricket. Because they didn’t like it, I used to lie about going to cricket training at the time. I used to tell them that I went to cricket practice and had extra classes at school.
Minnu, an offspinner and batter, encountered unusual obstacles frequently. He used his right hand to play. “To reach the ground, which is approximately 42 kilometers from my home and takes one and a half hours (one way), I need to change four vehicles. I once thought it was extremely restrictive; I would get up at 4:00 in the morning to help my mother prepare the day’s meals.
I only took Sunday off because the daily commute is hard. Minnu learned that her parents had taken out a loan to pay for her to attend cricket practice. Her family ultimately preferred her plan to play cricket, despite the fact that they could have done without her from the beginning. I would leave my house at 6:45 in the morning, take the train until about noon, and then come back to make sure I got to the airport by nine in the morning. My mother is a housewife, and my cool-guy father works as a day laborer. My parents never regularly worked. Financial stability was absent. Because they used to pay for it, I can now pay for practice with match fees and other expenses.
“They started supporting me after I began achieving success at lower levels, realized that I could do this, and realized that cricket is my passion.” “They used to tell me to focus on my research, but now they tell me to work hard and practice well,” she went on to say.
“I now have to help my family; They have experienced numerous challenging financial days. In order to pay for me to attend cricket practice, they would ask our relatives for money. Minnu stated, “I want to purchase a vehicle (a two-wheeler) to travel to cricket practice.” The next line was “I want to solve their financial issues.” Minnu acknowledged that she had moments when she considered giving up on her dream.
A phase like that, in my opinion, would have had an impact on everyone. We fail because we are unable to consistently achieve our goals. Additionally, there were times when I believed I would no longer be able to play cricket. “I couldn’t show up for the exams and didn’t do well in cricket, so I dropped out of the graduation program,” she said. But at that point, I thought about why I started playing cricket: to represent India one day. To keep myself motivated, I frequently talk to myself.
Minnu stated, “That was yet another difficult circumstance for me.” Also, they won’t be able to understand how I feel if I talk about my problems with my parents or friends because they don’t know much about cricket or any other sport.
Minnu, who had the most runs scored at the Women’s All-India One-Day tournament, claimed that her under-construction home was destroyed by floods in 2018 and 2019. Cricket, on the other hand, assisted her family in returning to normalcy. “I was not at home when it worked out,” she stated. “I was away playing for India A in a series against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka during the 2018-19 season. Mountains surround my house, which is situated in a forest. The foundation of our new home was already in place.
“The floods also brought a lot of mud with them when they arrived. We were able to recover from our significant loss once we returned and received my match fees. Minnu made the disclosure, “I got about Rs 5 lakh as match fees from that series, which was also my biggest prize money (before the WPL contract, which was worth Rs 30 lakh).”
Minnu consults with his peers, including India captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Smriti Mandhana, and even Virat Kohli. When she received messages from Kerala Ranji players regarding her selection for the WPL, she felt proud of herself.
She stated, “I received many messages of congratulations from Kerala Ranji players, which was a boost for me when I got selected in the WPL.”