WPL 2025: Meet Kranti Goud, UP Warriorz’ New Pace Bowling All-Rounder

They say destiny finds a way, and Kranti Goud’s story is no different. 

The setting of her rise to professional cricket is no different from Bollywood stories. A village hell-bent on young girls not mingling with boys meets a young girl who is equally insistent on breaking the societal norm. 

Like others, the young Madhya Pradesh girl was contemptuous of finding joy with the tennis ball until she was 14. But once she experienced playing with the leather ball, there was no looking back as the all-rounder grew in stature. 

Having spent the entire 2024 Women’s Premier League (WPL) as a net bowler, the realistic expectation for the all-rounder was just to grow in that role. But that’s where UP Warriorz saw something in her, picking her at a base price of INR 10 lakhs. 

"When UP Warriorz picked me, I had tears in my eyes," Goud told ESPNCricinfo. 

"They say in the village that she is a girl, so don't let her play cricket. But my brother did not listen to them and supported me fully. The family supported me. So that is why I am here,” she added. 

Unlike most other budding cricketers, Goud was naturally more attracted to bowling fast. That passion eventually shaped her career, which has now taken a turn in the right direction with a WPL debut for Warriorz. 

But what led up to her getting picked for the Warriorz was her performance at the 2025 Senior Women’s One Day Trophy, where she brewed a storm. The 21-year-old ran through a stellar Bengal top-order, removing Dhara Gujjar, Sasthi Mondal and Richa Ghosh in a spell that shaped her career. 

"As I started playing with the tennis ball, I saw that everyone just ran in and bowled medium pace. I did not even know spin bowlers existed. Where are spinners in tennis-ball cricket anyway? My brother also told me to bowl medium pace, so I did that,” Goud added in the same interview. 

The Madhya Pradesh all-rounder ended the competition with 15 wickets, averaging 14.40, showing her worth with both the new ball and the old ball. What differentiated her from the rest of the pack was that she wasn’t just bowling; she was bowling it quick, beating all the batters for pace. 

So, everything was in the right direction for Kranti to shine bright. 

"She had the speed [when she was younger], which was unlike most girls at the time," Goud’s coach, Rajiv Bilthre, said. 

"She used to match the boys when she used to run. I felt she was extraordinary at that age. So we focused on her fitness and undertook some bowling drills. She is very hard-working: if she is on the ground for three hours, she will spend every minute on the ground and not laze around or chit-chat,” he added. 

On her WPL debut against Gujarat Giants on February 16, the right-arm pacer did exactly that, bowling at 107 kmph, breaking the defence of a proven batter in Ashleigh Gardner. Throughout that over, what remained impressive was the pace at which she was operating, never failing to bend her back, bowling at a pace that was noteworthy. 

All that Kranti wanted to do was bowl quick, and she’s definitely just getting started.