“It was my dream to work in mainstream men’s cricket” - Anuja Dalvi, first female physio in IPL, on Episode 7 of Dream Big Stories

Physiotherapy has always been considered a male domain, especially in sports like cricket. However, Anuja Dalvi, the first female physio to be associated with the Indian Premier League (IPL), has set the wheels in motion to break this gender stereotype.

A sports and musculoskeletal physiotherapist from Mumbai, Dalvi has worked as an assistant physio with the Rajasthan Royals (RR) team and was also involved with COVID-19 management during her stint with the franchise.

In episode 7 of 'Dream Big Stories', a project by SK Brand Studio powered by Dream11, Anuja Dalvi shared her experience of her ‘royal’ stint, saying:

“I have always been a RR fan. As they say, ‘Once a Royal, always a Royal’. I was very happy when I got an entry into this team as an assistant physio and for COVID management. It was my dream to work in mainstream men’s cricket, especially the IPL. This opportunity made me the first female physio to have worked with IPL.”

Describing the team environment as very supportive, she asserted that none of the players ever made her feel awkward. Dalvi termed the opportunity to work with players like Jos Buttler as very special. She said:

“Jos Buttler has been my favourite player. To watch him play in the nets and be around with him, it was a very special experience. Among the other players, working with Ben Stokes, Sanju Samson and Robin Uthappa, when he was in the team, was a very special experience for me.”

RR batter Yashasvi Jaiswal (left) and Anuja Dalvi

Anuja Dalvi loved watching sports as a child and was a die-hard cricket fan. At the same time, she also had an interest in biology. Opening up on how she connected her love for the two, she explained:

“I loved watching sports as a child, and cricket topped the list. I remember seeing that whenever anyone was injured on the ground, someone would come running and fix things. Later, I came to know that they are called physios.”

She added:

“Along with sports, I always had this tremendous inclination towards biology, human body, medicine. So I had this wish to become a doctor in future. Then I thought that my love for sports and my love for medicine, who not combine them? And then I started dreaming of becoming a sports physiotherapist.”

Dalvi graduated from the KEM institute in Mumbai in 2009. In September the same year, she landed a job with the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), describing it as a ‘dream come true’.

The National Cricket Academy (NCA) had an exam for a physiotherapy course specific to cricket. Most of the time, male candidates from various associations used to attend it. However, as Dalvi had done a good job with the MCA, her work got noticed, and it was decided that she would represent the Mumbai Cricket Association at the National Cricket Academy.

Recalling her journey, Dalvi said:

“I did really well in my batch. In 2012, I traveled to Adelaide for my postgraduation. That was my life’s biggest turning point.”

Anuja Dalvi has worked with the Bangladesh team as well.

Her growth in the field continued, as she worked with the Bangladesh cricket team in 2018.

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“Physio is someone who wakes up the first and, probably, sleeps the last” - Anuja Dalvi

Anuja Dalvi readily agrees that being a physio is not a glamorous profession. Defining the job in a nutshell, she said:

“Physio is someone who wakes up the first and, probably, sleeps the last in the team.”

However, she concluded by saying that helping sportspeople progress by monitoring their health and injuries means a lot to her. She concluded:

“We have seen many players who leave the game because of injury. You must also have heard that fast bowlers switch to spin bowling or become batters. So, to prevent such incidents, and to help them in whatever way we can so that their careers progress means a lot to me.”

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By pursuing a career in sports physiotherapy, Anuja Dalvi has set a great example for other women to follow. At the same time, she has proved that dreams have no gender.