Who is G Kamalini? 5 interesting facts about MI's ₹ 1.6 crore signing at WPL 2025 Auction

16-year-old Tamil Nadu all-rounder G Kamalini triggered a bidding war of sorts between the Mumbai Indians (MI) and the Delhi Capitals at the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2025 auction on Sunday, December 15.

With her base price set at just INR 10 lakh, G Kamalini attracted attention from Mumbai and Delhi, who bid fiercely to acquire her services. Eventually, Mumbai Indians placed a winning bid of INR 1.6 Crore to sign the uncapped all-rounder.

The 16-year-old has already made waves with her performances in the U-19 Women's T20 Trophy and the U-19 Asia Cup 2024 in Malaysia. She is a versatile all-rounder and being a part of the Mumbai Indians squad for the upcoming WPL season comes as a great opportunity at such a young age in her career.

As she now prepares for the WPL 2025 season, here are five interesting facts about the 16-year-old MI all-rounder.

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#5 G Kamalini is a versatile all-rounder

Tamil Nadu all-rounder G Kamalini is unlike any other all-rounder. While she is primarily a left-handed batter, Kamalini also bowls leg-spin and hence can contribute to the Mumbai Indians with both bat and the ball.

However, what makes it interesting is the fact that she also undertakes wicketkeeping apart from being a batter and a legspinner. According to a report by Indian Express, Kamalini's mentor Aarti Sankaran said that she is a natural talent and converted into a wicket-keeper in the span of just six months. This indeed makes her a special and versatile all-rounder who can do it all.

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#4 Second highest run-scorer in the U19 Women's T20 Trophy

G Kamilini has shown her abilities as a match-winner at a tender age. The 16-year-old played a key role for Tamil Nadu in the U19 Women's T20 Trophy in October.

She amassed 311 runs from just eight innings and ended as the second-highest run-getter of the tournament. Her stellar performance also helped Tamil Nadu clinch the title.

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#3 Kamalini trained at the Super Kings Academy

For those unaware, Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) runs their academy named the Super Kings Academy. Originally from Madurai, G Kamalini moved to Chennai to pursue her cricketing career.

There, the franchise presented her with an opportunity to train at their academy, which played a major role in shaping her career and eventually helped her bag an attractive WPL contract.

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#2 Kamalini has won the 'Women's Cricketer of the Year' award

G Kamalini was selected to represent the Tamil Nadu women's team at a very young age in her career. After being selected to represent her state, through her stellar performances, she has already achieved several milestones.

Recognizing her special talent and skills at such a young age, she was awarded 'Women's Cricketer of the Year' in Tamil Nadu as well.

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#1 The 16-year-old's initial interest was not cricket but another sport

G Kamalini's journey to cricket and her story is an interesting one. During the lockdown in 2020, her father Gunalan and his son were practicing cricket when Kamalini, just 12 years old at the time, picked up the cricket ball for the first time.

While Kamalini had no prior interest or formal training in cricket, her skills, even at that stage, impressed her father, who then decided to invest and help her pursue cricket professionally.

Kamalini's initial interest, however, was not in cricket but in skating. Although, her natural talent for cricket was recognized early on and proper training has led her to bagging a WPL contract today.