When the auctioneer’s hammer came down to seal the services of all-rounder Joshitha VJ for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in WPL 2025, the player herself was over 6,400 km away in Malaysia. Fresh from their win against Pakistan in the U19 Women’s Asia Cup, a nervous Joshitha couldn’t watch the auction alone.
“This is the first time I have received a message from the RCB manager,” she said Sports stars from Kuala Lumpur. “Three of us (Joshitha, G. Kamalini, Niki Prasad) were selected. As each player was being selected, there were screams coming from another room, which was quite funny.
Joshitha is the latest export from the cricket cradle of Wayanada – the same breeding ground that gave India Minnu Mani and Sajeevan Sajana.
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“Of course church it showed us that reaching this level is possible. They have played a huge role in inspiring so many people like me to dream of a life in cricket,” Joshitha said.
The bowling all-rounder has already had the opportunity to play in the nets for Delhi Capitals and she fondly recalls everything she learned from seniors like Shikha Pandey – her cricket idol – and Arundhati Reddy. Before the auction, Joshitha took part in trials with Mumbai Indians and RCB, eventually ending up as the defending champions.
The 18-year-old’s first order of business will be her fangirl devotion when she meets Ellyse Perry.
The young pacer, who can swing the bowl both ways, hopes to follow in the footsteps of Minnu and Sajana and climb the ladder in Indian cricket step by step.
