When Happy Kumari’s name flashed on the WPL mega auction broadcast and Gujarat Giants (GG) picked her for a base price of Rs 10 lakh, her family back in Jhunjhunu erupted with joy.
As her neighbors burst crackers to celebrate the young pacer’s maiden entry into the tournament, Happy’s coach, Ajay Kumar, cried through the night and only spoke to her the next morning. Her selection for WPL 2026 marks a significant milestone in her remarkable cricketing journey that began nearly five years ago.
“I was watching the auction with my teammates at the RCA facility. As soon as my name came up, Gujarat Giants raised their paddle very quickly. I didn’t see what happened till the end, but then I found out that I will be playing for them in this WPL,” Happy, 18, shared in an exclusive conversation.
“The morning after, my coach finally spoke to me. He was still very happy at that moment and had tears of joy. Everyone was very happy, sending videos of people shouting and bursting crackers.”
Happy’s path to professional cricket was anything but conventional. Growing up in Jhunjhunu, she started as a 100m and 200m specialist in athletics and had no intention of picking up cricket until she attended a summer camp after the second Covid-19 wave subsided. “I didn’t have any intentions as such to get into playing cricket. I didn’t like cricket that much, and I didn’t even wish to watch it,” she recalled.
It took her father’s gentle persuasion to enroll her in a 15-day summer camp at a nearby academy. “My dad told me, ‘Let us go and try something new in the 15-day summer camp’. I went with him and on the very first day, I saw there were a lot of boys. I told my dad, ‘I won’t play in the middle with so many boys around.’”
“He said, ‘No problem, I’ll take you every day. I’ll drop you and then pick you up. You just play for 15 days.’ I started playing, and my coach created such an environment that all the bhaiya log used to give me extra batting and bowling,” she said.
That environment proved transformative, as cricket quickly changed from an unwanted experiment to a calling. “I enjoyed it and thought, ‘Yes, I’m improving and enjoying.’ After the 15-day camp, I joined the academy for three months. After 4-5 months, I realized, ‘Yes, now I have to play cricket as my career.’”
“It was due to my improvement and my coach’s confidence. My teammates encouraged me, saying, ‘Yes, Happy, you can do it. You can play with boys and keep improving with us’,” she noted.
Training required extraordinary commitment from both Happy and Ajay. With his younger son in tow, Ajay would pick Happy up from her house on his bike for the journey to the academy and do the same after training.
“The academy is around 5-7 kms away from my house, and I once went on the bike with him. My grandmother would tell him, ‘Beta, we are trusting you a lot. Please take care of our daughter.’ He replied, ‘Why should I trust anyone else? I’ll pick and drop her myself.’ With his younger son, the three of us would sit on the bike and go to the academy.”
The pre-dawn training sessions truly tested their resolve. With a 6:30 am school bus to catch, Happy’s training often began at 4 am, much to the annoyance of sleeping neighbors.
“I had to go to school by 7 am, and my bus came 30 minutes before. I had to wake up early to train in the morning. My coach used to come to my house at 4 am, and we practiced knocking. My neighbors would complain, ‘What is the need to play so early? You are ruining our sleep’,” she recalled.
As the eldest of three daughters, with a grandfather who is a retired major, Happy received unwavering support at home. “My family was very open and said, ‘Whatever you want to do, we’ll support you.’ So they were like, ‘Yes, she’s playing cricket. Let her play.’”
Like most young cricketers, Happy started as a batter, but her athletic background caught Ajay’s eye. He saw her potential as a fast bowler. “I wanted to bat the most in the academy. Everyone made me bowl a lot. Since I was strong from athletics, my coach suggested, ‘Let us try fast bowling.’”
The transition was gradual but purposeful. Ajay ensured Happy prioritized raw pace over accuracy, believing that speed was a rare commodity that could set her apart. “I began by bowling from 4-5 steps. Gradually, it became smooth as my speed was good too.”
“My coach emphasized, ‘At such a young age, girls don’t have this good speed for fast bowling. So let us develop this speed, and we’ll work on line and length afterwards.’ He told me that speed is essential if I want to stand out.”
Happy enjoyed fast bowling, and as she improved over 1-1.5 years, she realized it was earning her rewards and recognition. “I decided that I wanted to become a fast bowler,” she recalled.
Her bowling inspirations included legendary players like Jhulan Goswami, Brett Lee, and Shoaib Akhtar. “When I started improving in fast bowling, I watched videos of Jhulan, Brett, and Shoaib for speed and aggression. I wanted to develop my speed just like them.”
Ajay’s dedication was unwavering. When he shifted from JIVEM Cricket Academy to SS Mody Cricket Academy, Happy followed him without hesitation. His training regimen was rigorous; while others typically trained for four hours, he insisted Happy train for seven to eight hours.
Morning sessions focused on batting, sprinting, and stamina work, while evening sessions included specialized training. “When I started playing cricket, I didn’t have much idea about training. My coach emphasized early morning training to develop stamina.”
“Sir gives me special training and has put a lot of effort into helping me grow. If everyone practiced for four hours, he would say, ‘Happy, you’ll practice for 7-8 hours if you want to become something different.’”
At home, her mother managed her nutrition. “After school, my mother ensured I had good food and took care of my diet since I started training.”
While fast bowling is her primary focus, Happy hasn’t neglected her batting. “I also practice a lot of batting. At the domestic level, I often batted second or third down. But fast bowling is my main priority.”
“However, I’m also focused on batting. If it’s 70% bowling practice, I devote 30% of my time to batting.”
2024 was a breakthrough year for Happy. She made her Rajasthan debut in U19 T20s as vice-captain before becoming captain for the one-day games. Soon after, she was selected for the Under-19 Challenger Trophy, U19 World Cup camp, a tri-series in Pune, and as a standby for the Asia Cup.
“2024 was a year where I felt I was growing and getting noticed. With my progress, I felt closer to that tag of playing for India,” she said.
WPL franchises noticed her talent too. Happy attended four trials ahead of the mega auction, although an injury prevented her from participating in Gujarat Giants’ trials. “Due to being on the targeted players list, VVS Laxman sir advised me not to attend GG’s trials.”
“I sent them my videos instead, and since I performed well in the trials, I expected RCB to select me. At that time, I hadn’t talked much with GG, so it was surprising when they picked me. I later recalled that they had been following my domestic performances.”
For the intelligent Happy, bowling fast remains her signature attribute, distinguishing her in a competitive field. She knows exactly what WPL 2026 should prove to be: a launchpad into the Indian team.
“I focused on my pace from the start, as it differentiates me from other pacers. If people talk about Happy, I want them to say, ‘Oh, she bowls fast.’ If I play in WPL, my aim is to perform well.”
“It should be like the other players who have played for India and taken the WPL route to get there. The ultimate goal is to play for India, and I want to use WPL as a platform to knock on the doors of the Indian team.”
After navigating a roller-coaster of challenges, Happy now finds herself in WPL’s limelight, poised to carve out a successful cricketing career. The real challenge begins now: transforming her raw promise into performances that can lead to wearing the India blue jersey she has always aspired to don.
