From Chandigarh to Gujarat Giants: Kashvee's fairytale begins

Ten wickets in an innings.

That in itself is a rarity for a bowler across formats, genders and age groups. 

But what if I tell you that a hat trick was included in that ten-wicket haul? Doesn’t that make for an impressive CV?

4.5-1-12-10 was her figure in that clash. 

Kashvee Gautam’s CV doesn’t stop there. She also scored a crucial 49 runs in the same clash, showing her all-round worth. 

A few years after picking up a ten-wicket haul in an innings against Arunachal Pradesh in the Women’s Under-19 One Day Trophy in 2020, she picked up another hattrick in her five-wicket haul only a few weeks ago, in the BCCI Senior Women’s Inter-Zonal T20 Trophy in Lucknow. 

Ideally, for any player, these records should be an earning of a lifetime, but for Gautam, that’s only the start of her journey towards greater heights. Gautam has gone places over the last 12 months, with being included in India A’s squad at the ACC Emerging Women’s Asia Cup in Hong Kong this June. 

Not just that, the right-arm pacer, who is known for being tall, strong, and quite breezy, was also included in India A’s squad for the three-match T20 series against England. The 20-year-old picked up three wickets in the first two clashes in that series, showing that the big stage doesn’t trouble her. 

But Gautam's pace isn’t new, given that she was part of the Mandhana-led Trailblazers squad in 2020. However, even then, it did not interest the franchises at the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), with the pacer going ‘unsold’. 

The message to her was rather clear: Increase your pace!And she did. Over the last 12 months, Gautam has shown her prowess across the white-ball formats, with 12 wickets in seven games, at the 2023 Women's T20 trophy, where she maintained an economy rate of just 4.14. Gautam’s game isn’t all about just pace. Her accuracy and ability to hit the deck makes her stand out from all the other contemporaries. 

With all that said, what transpired at the Auction was so extraordinary that it seemed straight from some Disney fairy tale. 

Also Read: Who is Vrinda Dinesh - the prolific Karnataka batter bought for 1.3 crore

Earlier at the auction, Vrinda Dinesh became the costliest pick for an uncapped player when UP Warriorz acquired her services for INR 1.3 crore. But moments later, Gautam broke the INR 1 crore barrier, went past that, and even hit the INR 2 crore mark, becoming the costliest pick for an Indian player at the 2024 WPL Auction. 

Gujarat Giants started the bidding war before Royal Challengers Bangalore wanted her services, driving the price up within seconds. In the span of the next few seconds, her price went up from INR 10 lakhs to over 50 lakhs, which made the world turn their notice on the pacer. 

"It stopped at around 70 lakhs. Our heartbeats knew no bounds. This is absolutely life-changing for Kashvee. The team got the hardworking player, and I am delighted to see her get a team,” Nagesh Gupta, Kashvee Gautam's coach, told Kalyani Mangale. 

When UP Warriorz entered the fray at INR 75 lakhs, it injected a new dynamic at the Auction, pushing the bid well past the INR 1 crore mark. Till 2 crore, the Auction went to and fro before Gujarat ultimately snapped her services at a 20x price, putting her name on the world map. 

She might just have 58 followers on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), but a billion eyes will soon be placed on her skills. 

Gautam might already be fast, but her journey in the faster lane only begins now.