RCB's Prathyoosha Kumar charts her journey from gully cricket to WPL glory
Growing up in Gokarna, cricketer Prathyoosha Kumar aced her academics while also scoring high in athletics and sports. Sharing the craze for cricket that exists en masse, Prathyoosha fell in love with the sport honing her favoured bowling tricks and exciting gully-cricket shots and sweeps over the years. This fire kindled within her during her initial years was later fanned into raving embers through her parents’ support and encouragement, eventually leading her to play at the state level in under-19 and under-23 competitions.
After years of hard work, Prathyoosha is now part of the 2026 campaign-winning franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)! Although an uncapped player, Prathyoosha’s hard-hitting efforts have not gone unnoticed during the net sessions. The champion now talks to Indulge to give us a behind-the-scenes peek into her journey, the inputs she got from the World Cup winners in her team and much more.
Pathyoosha accounts her personal echoes from RCB’s path to their 2nd WPL title
Tell us about your journey into cricket?
I started playing cricket about 10 to 11 years ago. And just like any other girl, I started out by playing gully cricket. Also, I was always into sports in school. I was into athletics. I also used to play a lot of football, badminton and other sports. There was an academy opening near my home. All my friends and neighbours were initially like, ‘you can’t play cricket because it’s a leather ball, you will get hurt.’ And I was like, ‘why can’t I play?’ That’s something that fascinated me. Eventually that’s how my interest grew and my parents and neighbours were like, ‘she plays really well, why don’t you try admitting her to an academy?’ And that’s how I started my cricket journey. The year after I started playing professionally, I got into the under-16 team of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). I was more of a bowling all-rounder then. Since I was a big fan of MS Dhoni, I always wanted to become a wicket-keeper.
What has it been like being part of your home team, RCB, in the title-winning campaign this year?
Every Bengalurean’s dream is to represent RCB and be part of it. And being in the team my first year and winning it, nothing beats that moment!
Having witnessed all the processes of a campaign, what do you think makes RCB a league-winning team?
I feel it is the trust and belief in every player. The support staff has been really great. It’s more like a family. From the time WPL (Women’s Premier League) started, I am used to travelling for all the net sessions as a batsman-wicket keeper. I’ve been observing it from quite a distance — how things work and how the management is working. Coming into the WPL system, it was much easier for me to understand what they’re looking for in a player.
As an uncapped player, what mindset has helped you stay motivated even when you aren’t in the starting eleven?
I feel as a player, the hungrier you are, the more involved you’ll be in the game and that’s how you can give your best. Yes, I didn’t get to play, but I was there for every person. So, standing up for them and being there for them, that matters a lot. And if someone is standing up for me, that boosts my confidence as well. And when given an opportunity, you don’t have much pressure. It’s more about the trust and the confidence that people show in you — that’s something that helps you to perform well.
Hailing from Gokarna, how did you help the overseas players get used to the local culture?
Most of the Indian players usually travel to Bengaluru as the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) is here. So, they are more used to the Bengaluru culture. But the foreigners hardly travel to Bengaluru. After Lauren Bell reached 2 million followers on Instagram, we started teaching her some Kannada words so that she could interact with the fans. During practice, all the overseas players like Grace Harris, were very interested to learn Kannada.
What did you learn after having spoken with ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, 2025 winners on your team ?
I’ve had this chat with Arundhati Reddy, Radha Yadav and Richa Ghosh. Everyone had their small target or goals. Until they win the World Cup, they were going to sacrifice a few things. They worked mainly on the process — the things which were in their control. I feel keeping things really simple and working towards it was the key.
How do you approach your fitness both for the sport and your personal life?
During the off-season, it’s completely different. Now that I have started working as well, it’s quite hectic. How I manage my practice sessions and my nutrition part is key there. I’ve hired a nutritionist. I’ve been working mentally as well. It’s as important as the physical aspect. I’ve been working with one of my mentors, Deva Girish and she’s been helping with all the mental health aspects.