"I don't want ice cream, my stomach is full after hearing that" - Jemimah Rodrigues shares a fan's heartening comment ahead of WPL

Indian women's team cricketer Jemimah Rodrigues has shared a heartwarming incident she surprisingly came across during the inaugural edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL).

The WPL 2023 was held from March 4 to March 26 across two venues in Mumbai. A total of 22 matches, including the eliminator and the final, were staged with the participation of five teams.

The Harmanpreet Kaur-led Mumbai Indians were crowned champions in the inaugural edition of the WPL after defeating the Delhi Capitals by seven wickets in the final.

Jemimah Rodrigues, who was the vice-captain of the Delhi Capitals in WPL 2023, shared a moment with a cricket fan at an ice cream parlor in Mumbai that made her feel awestruck.

Speaking to Gaurav Kapur on his chat show 'Breakfast with Champions', Jemimah Rodrigues shared:

"One day I was taking an overseas player Tara Norris to have ice cream. I went (wearing) a hoodie and standing in the line. So one guy (was saying to other guy), 'Do you know WPL is starting'."

She added:

"He had no clue that I was standing right there in the line and I wanted to hear what he was saying. He was like 'kya solid khelti hain yeh ladki log' (how solid do these girls play)."

Rodrigues continued:

"It was very honest because when people meet you, they say good things on your face just to say it. I was like, I don't want ice cream, my stomach is full after hearing that. It was one of the most overwhelming moments."

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"We would even play it for free" - Jemimah Rodrigues

Jemimah Rodrigues was bought by the Delhi Capitals for INR 2.20 crore in an auction held in February.

It was a cherry-on-top moment for Jemimah to get picked in the WPL auction just a day after she guided India to a thrilling victory against Pakistan in the 2023 Women's T20 World Cup.

Jemimah remained unbeaten on 53 off 38 balls, hammering eight boundaries in a moderate 150-run chase, and also bagged the Player of the Match (POTM) award that night.

Recalling the moment when her name appeared on the auction screen, Jemimah said:

"I wasn't scoring much with the highest was 16 or 26 in 15 innings. Then comes the India-Pakistan game where Richa and I finished off the game. The very next day was the auction.

She further said:

"My name came (in the auction). The first 15 seconds are full of silence and those 15 seconds feel like forever. I thought are they picking me or not? Have I put too much price or what?

She added:

"Then suddenly the bidding happened. That was one of my most memorable moments I would say. It was not just for Smriti or Harman but every single player out there."

The 22-year-old concluded:

"Playing this WPL was crazy, honestly, I didn't expect it to be at this level. We were just happy to be a part of it and we would even play it for free."

Jemimah Rodrigues earned a Grade B-level contract on the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) annual player retainership for senior women for the 2022–23 season.