Shivani Jangid has emerged as the ace bowler for North Delhi Strikers in this edition of the Women’s Delhi Premier League. The 24-year-old off spinner has bowled with courage and control, consistently troubling even the most established batters in the league.
Shivani’s strength lies in her ability to improvise and quickly read the batter’s footwork. She prefers to stay on the attack. One of her finest moments came against India international Priya Punia, when she tossed the ball up at fuller length. The ball gripped, spun sharply, and crashed into the off stump, leaving Punia stunned. Across three games, Shivani has picked up four wickets with an economy of 5 and a strike rate of 12. She represented East Delhi Riders in the first season. In the second, she played for North Delhi Strikers, where she was used as the team’s ace bowler.
Field Vision gets an opportunity to interact with the talented off-spinner.
Bal Bhavan Academy’s Importance in Her Career
Shivani Jangid while speaking about her journey spoke about the importance of Bal Bhavan Academy. She expressed, “I started my journey at Bal Bhavan Academy. When I began my years of building as a cricketer 8–9 years ago, there were already many good graduates from our academy like Arpit Rana and Yash Dhull. In my time, there were no girls in the academy, and I used to practice with the boys for 5–6 years. I played with them, and this exposure gave me immense confidence”.
Coach’s Role
Shivani credited her childhood coach for shaping her early career. She explained, “My coach has always motivated and advised me, saying you have benefitted from training with the boys as I earned multiple ‘Player of the Match’ awards playing against them. He also used to remind me that I should not feel stressed when I step onto the field. Recently, a good number of girls have started taking admission into the academy”.
Women’s Delhi Premier League Journey for North Delhi
While speaking about here journey in the Women’s Delhi Premier League, the youngster admitted, “I thought I was unsold in this edition of the Delhi Premier League, but I’m very grateful that North Delhi picked me in the final phase of the auction. It feels great to be part of the team”.
“To describe our campaign so far, our first game was washed out, and we were unfortunate to lose the second game despite dominating most phases of play. Individually, I had done quite well in that game, but we couldn’t defend 14 runs. As for last game, it has given us a much-needed morale boost,” she pointed.
Strength As a Bowler
Throughout the Women’s Delhi Premier League, Shivani established herself as a very tricky off-spinner. While explaining about her strength, Shivani explained, “My strength as an off-spinner is that if a batter tries to step out of the crease, it gives me the option to bowl away from their reach”.
“And if the batter stays in the crease, I can target their stumps and create the possibility of bowling them out. For example, today against Priya Punia Di, who is very good against slower deliveries, I bowled a yorker to her,” she added.
Favourite Cricketer
While speaking about her favourite cricekter Shivani said, “My favourite cricketer is Harmanpreet Kaur, and from the men’s category, it is Virat Kohli.”
Tough Competition in the State Team
Delhi is one of the powerhouses in Indian cricket and getting into the state team is generally pretty tough for any cricketer. It was same for young Shivani who struggled to get into the Delhi side at the youth level. “I have been unable to seal my place in the state team for the last four years. I last featured at the U-23 level, and despite performing regularly, I couldn’t make it further. In the trial games, across three matches, I picked up 11 wickets, including a five-wicket haul in one game, but still, I wasn’t selected, not even as a standby player,” explained Shivani.
“It was one of the most demotivating phases of my life. Like everyone else, I felt sad because, despite performing, I couldn’t make it into a 23-member squad. So yes, it’s hard. But I know I have to keep working continuously,” She admitted.
Shivani is brave. She is not afraid to fight, bowl tough overs, or be the main figure. An off-spinner by role. She knows some battles drain more than they give, so she chooses her moments and makes them count. And she would be hoping it can open the gate for her to the domestic cricket team and the WPL.
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