Who is Bharti Fulmali? 5 interesting facts about Gujarat Giants batter who scored 40* vs DC in WPL 2025

Bharti Fulmali caught eyebrows during her brilliant cameo for the Gujarat Giants (GG) against the Delhi Capitals (DC) in their Women's Premier League (WPL) 2025 clash on Tuesday, February 25. The fixture was played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Batting first, Gujarat were off to a nightmare of a start, being reduced to 41/5 in just 8.1 overs. Walking out to bat at No.8, Bharti Fulmali displayed her might with the bat, smashing an unbeaten 40 off just 29 balls, hitting four boundaries and two sixes at a strike rate of 137.93.

Her quickfire cameo helped the Giants post a respectable total of 127/9 in the end. However, the Delhi Capitals chased it down with ease, wrapping up the game in just 15.1 overs with six wickets to spare.

Notably, Bharti was called in as a replacement player for Harleen Deol during the WPL 2024 season.

Despite their defeat, Bharti impressed with her prowess, scoring crucial runs in quick time down the order. On that note, here are some interesting facts about the 30-year-old batter.

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#5 Bharti Fulmali plays domestic cricket for Vidarbha

Bhartii Fulmali plays domestic cricket for Vidarbha. She made her Vidarbha U-19 debut in 2008. She impressed with her power-hitting abilities in the U-19, U-23, seniors, and zonal tournaments.

In the Challenger series 2018-19, she displayed her true potential, scoring 114 runs from three innings, ending as the second highest-run scorer of the tournament. She has been a consistent performer for them in the domestic circuit.

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#4 She has been playing cricket since the age of 13

The right-handed batter was drawn to the sport of cricket at a very young age. She started playing the game when she was just 13 years old and made her senior debut at the age of just 17.

She initially joined the World Cricket Academy in Amravati and learned the basics of the game from there. She captained Vidarbha in a U-23 tournament in Kanpur where she scored her first century as well. Bharti Fulmali has also represented India Blue in the Senior Women's Challenger Trophy in the past.

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#3 She used to play volleyball and chess before cricket

In an interview with Female Cricket, Bharti Fulmali revealed that her father inspired her to play sports. She stated that she joined a volleyball camp during her summer vacations in her early days.

She also learned chess during her school days. However, she used to play gully cricket with boys in her colony. Her father then took her to a cricket coaching camp, where her cricketing journey began and she made the switch.

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#2 She idolized MS Dhoni while growing up

In the same interview with 'Female Cricket', she also revealed that she idolized MS Dhoni while growing up. She also hailed him as the best leader and a good student of the game.

"While growing up I used to watch M.S. Dhoni playing for the country. Surely he has been my idol. For me he is not only a good student of cricket but a nice gentleman. I feel he is the best leader of the game throughout the world," she had said.

She also stated that current India head coach Gautam Gambhir is her favorite batter apart from MS Dhoni.

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#1 Bharti has played international cricket for India

For those unknown, Bharti Fulmali has also played international cricket for India. She made her international debut in 2019 during a T20I series against England at home.

She played two matches in that series, which are her only two international appearances till date. She managed to score only 23 runs in both games with a best score of 18. She never represented India again after these two T20I matches.