WPL 2023 Auction: How RCB's new buy Renuka Thakur's Mother Fought Financial Woes to Keep Daughter's Cricket Dream Alive

India pacer Renuka Singh Thakur knew no limit to her happiness after she bagged a Rs 1.5 crore deal with Royal Challenger Bangalore (RCB) at the Women's Premier League 2023 (WPL 2023) auction on Monday, February 13 in Mumbai. The news of Renuka getting bought in WPL auction reached her village Parsa in Himachal Pradesh and the family started celebrating by distributing sweets. Her mother Sunita was seen smiling all along as she went from one person to the other to give sweets. She has fought many hard battles to make Renuka achieve her dream of playing cricket at the highest level.

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There were massive financial issues when Renuka's father Kehar Singh passed away when she was very young. However, Sunita never let the lack of money come in between her daughter and her dreams. 

_Scenes from the _______ ____ __ _____ ______ today as Renuka Singh gets mobbed by team-mates _ #WPLAuction | @RCBTweets https://t.co/6MSSHESrdD pic.twitter.com/O28iHVkgXv — JioCinema (@JioCinema) February 13, 2023

__ Not just from South Africa, we have s__w__e__e__t__ reactions from Himachal too! Here's Renuka Singh's family she was picked by RCB at INR 1.5CR. #WPLAuction pic.twitter.com/BbV40stApL

— JioCinema (@JioCinema) February 13, 2023

"Whatever Renuka has achieved is due to her hard work and passion for the sport. As a youngster, she would always accompany her brother to the village ground near the nullah and would play in the boys’ teams. After the death of my husband, we struggled financially but I never let that come in between my daughter’s cricketing dreams," Renuka told Indian Express.

Sunita added that Renuka always dreamt of playing a league like IPL and used to watch the men's league matches with great interest. 

"She always watched IPL matches with interest and to see her play in the WPL for a team will be a dream come true for all of us," said Sunita. 

The little Renuka used to play cricket at a nearby ground with the boys of the village. Seeing her great cricketing skills, her uncle asked her to go and give selection trials at HPCA stadium in Dharamsala. From there, her life changed. She worked hard at honing her skills at the academy and the hard work paid off as she emerged as leading wicket-taker in BCCI Women’s one Day trophy in 2019 with 23 wickets.