G Kamalini

Gunalan Kamalini, a left-handed wicket-keeper batter. She was born on July 20, 2008, in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. At the age of just 16, she swiftly ascended the ranks of women’s cricket, showcasing her talent. She represents Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) and plays for the Tamil Nadu Women’s team in domestic cricket.  Medals and trophies are scattered throughout Kamalini's home, indicating her love of sports. She was good at skating at first, but after seeing her older brother play cricket, she decided to give it a go. At the age of 11 years, she switched from skating to cricket. Her first coach was her father, Gunalan, who saw her talent. Despite her innate right-handedness, her father taught her to play as a left-handed hitter in order to give her an advantage over other players.   Sacrifices are part of every athlete, and so is Kamalini, her father Gunalan relinquished his business endeavours to focus on his children's burgeoning cricket careers. In 2022, she and her brother joined the Super Kings Academy, where Louis Mariano served as their coach. Mariano assisted her in developing her abilities after recognizing her natural talent right away.  Kamalini was awarded the player of the tournament in the Freyer T20 Cup in the year 2023, organized by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. She led the team, which was showcased in her stint as a skipper of the Tamil Nadu Women’s Under-15 Team. Her dedication bore fruits as she found her name in the National Cricket Academy Under-15 camp in Alur, designed to nurture emerging talents.

Her father's heart attack and subsequent kidney failure, which required open heart surgery, was one of her greatest hardships. She was about to compete in the Senior Women's One-Day event during that turbulent time. She showed her mental toughness by making the audacious and courageous choice to continue with the tournament. She became the tournament's second-highest run scorer after smashing a century.

She quickly rose to fame as a young player in women's cricket. She got an international call as she was infused in India's Under-19 Women's T20 Asia Cup. Her best came when it was most needed, she opened the innings in the final with Gongadi Trisha and smashed an unbeaten 44 runs in just 29 deliveries, a knock that earned her the Player of the Match in the finals and helped the team to break the doors to victory. 

The WPL scouts and selectors were drawn to her outburst. A bidding war began between  MI and Delhi Capitals to add Kamalini to their squad during the last Mini-Auction in December 2024, but MI ultimately prevailed as the bid increased from 10 lakh to 1.6 crores. In addition to demonstrating her market value, this contract was a major turning point in her career as she became a member of one of the world's most prominent women's cricket leagues' best teams. 

She announced herself in WPL in style, scoring a boundary on the very first ball she played. Her first appearance was against Gujarat Giants in February 2025. Her small contribution of four runs not out helped the team chase the total. She highlighted her potential as a future mainstay in the team's batting line-up.  Kamalini believes that this is just the start of a great. Her left-handed techniques provide her an edge over others, and her leg-break bowling adds variety to the team. 

(As of February 2025)