From darkness to dawn: Shreyanka Patil’s tale of a magical comeback (Part 1)

When the retentions were announced ahead of the WPL auction, RCB’s fourth name on the list was that of Shreyanka Patil. Despite the speculations about her injury, she was declared fit and she left a lasting impact on the very opening game of the season, when Gunalan Kamalini, who was looking in great shape, was bowled by Patil in the season opener of WPL 2026.

However, between Patil coming back in the Red and Gold threads and the last time she featured in the WPL, a boatload of things happened. A rollercoaster of emotions swept over her and more importantly she suffered not one but two injuries alongside one which relapsed as well. She went through it all, embraced the tears and the dejections that came along, toiled to stay on her feet and eventually when the dust settled, she was raring to set foot in the yard again.

On the latest episode of RCB Bold Diaries, Shreyanka Patil revealed her story, which we will be breaking in two parts to tell you all. It is a story of belief and a story that will be written in the history books someday stating that no matter how hard the situation got, Patil was there and she took it head on and came out on top.

Revealing how it all started, Shreyanka said, “Before 2024, I was that normal, bubbly kid who was enjoying playing her cricket. Everything was going well. I was like, wow, Shreyanka's finally flying. I could see all the colors. I mean, the year was full of celebration, full of happiness. What more could I have asked for? Because it was that kind of year for me.”

Pointing to the first signs of injury, Shrey added, “There were ups, there were downs in terms of cricket, in terms of losing, winning, but I just enjoyed them here. During the World Cup, I started getting shin pain, and then I thought it's just like a one off injury, and it just vanished. With the medical team, we had a chat, they said, I think you just have to rest it off a couple of games. So I was like, okay, just forget it, just go out there, have a nice session, is what I thought. But then I bowled two balls, and it started hurting like crazy, that's when I had to communicate that with my medical team, with my physios, because if I am not 100 percent, I don't think I'm doing justice for my team.”

Revealing the diagnosis and the emotional toll that followed suit, Patil added, “That's when I stepped into a hospital, which I don't like to, and then in the report it said, stress reaction, grade 3, both legs. I was like, not again, I don't want injuries. I had a small fracture during the second season, WPL, and then I know how it feels like missing even a single game. I was frustrated, I was irritated, and I didn't know what to do, I didn't know how to react. The first person I called, I don't really call my parents, because I know how much bad they feel, because they're my close ones, and my dad, I'm very attached to my dad. If he gets to know that I am not doing okay, I'm someone who doesn't like to break his heart. When it comes to that, I'm very much, very much emotional. Yeah.”

Following the injury, Shreyanka opened up on the support that she received from her parents, stating, “He was very upset. The fact that he knew that I was not going to him and talking, he already felt that he was actually going through a lot. But my dad has a very strong heart. He is like, you'll be fine. So that's how he started talking to me. Usually I talk to my parents at least once or twice a day. But that phase, it was maybe once a week or twice a week. And they kind of understood. It's okay. When she calls, let's make her feel happy. The only person I was actually going and talking to was Arjun sir and my brother, Adarsh. I'm very much close to my siblings as well.”

Narrating her journey of getting back up, Shrey added, “Obviously, when you're a contracted player, if you're moved out from a series or a tournament, you'll end up going to COE. So I went there with a very open mind, to be very honest. First couple of days, I was like, it's all good. It was going well because of a new setup for me, rehab, just gymming, getting my shin released, my calf released. It was going good.”

Revealing the questions which come during your rehab, Shreyanka added, “And then the same thing I had to do. And after two months, I was like, I'm tired of this because I'm someone who can't just sit in one place. I try to convince myself saying, okay, fine, after rehab, you can go out there, you can just spend some time. But you keep thinking, right, when will I get better? When will I get better? When am I going to step on the field? When am I going to start bowling or batting or fielding for that matter? Or just run on the ground.”

Highlighting the raw emotions of the moment, Patil added, “For four months, if I'm not wrong, I had not stepped on the field. And that broke me. I thought this was, like, the worst. The world is falling. Everything's come to an end, is what I thought. I couldn't accept the fact that I just couldn't touch the grass.”

Talking about the lessons that she learnt during this phase of hers, Shrey stated, “I used to ask my physios to keep my session early in the morning. So I finish, I go back to the hotel, close the curtains, switch off all the lights, and just sleep. The whole day. I thought this is like the worst, the world is falling, everything's come to an end, is what I thought. I couldn't accept the fact that I just couldn't touch the ground. I am a strong believer that if you actually put those positive thoughts in your mind, you actually start recovering well. That's what I learned from this injury phase. And then I started playing cricket.”