WPL 2024: Danielle Wyatt recalls last year's heartbreak ahead of upcoming season

In the upcoming Women's Premier League (WPL), Danielle Wyatt will aim to make amends for last year's setback. Despite her impressive performance in international cricket, she was left dismayed after failing to attract any bids in the previous WPL auction. However, Wyatt's focus this time around is on "gratitude", a stark shift from her feelings of heartbreak last year. She will be seen donning UP Warriorz jersey in WPL 2024.

Reflecting on the past year, she finds herself in a more positive frame of mind, and attributed it to spending quality time with her family and overcoming fatigue that led her to withdraw from the WBBL last October. This marks her second visit to India within two months, having participated in England's Test and T20I series in December. Notably, her form remains formidable, as evidenced by her commanding 75-run knock against India at the Wankhede Stadium just a day before the WPL auction.

"It wasn't a good feeling last year. We were in South Africa for the T20 World Cup. We were in the same hotel as the Indian team and they were screaming. They were all watching on a projector and there were loud cheers and high fives every time someone got picked. We were just leaving the hotel and en route to the ground for a game against Ireland,” Wyatt said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

“I was on the team bus, so I wasn't watching when my name came up. Suddenly I get a series of messages from my friends over in the UK to say, 'You've not been picked.' I was just a bit embarrassed. I had got my hopes up a lot, which I shouldn't have done in hindsight. I'd done well in international cricket. I'd been part of BCCI's Women's T20 Challenge in India prior to that. I was confident of being picked. But to not get a single bid was pretty heartbreaking," she added.

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Ashes that ignited Wyatt’s journey 

Wyatt's passion for cricket ignited during the historic 2005 Ashes series. She vividly recalled being at Edgbaston with her father, and witnessed the thrilling Test match that captured her heart. While she may not recall every match she's played since then, that summer remained etched in her memory. Nearly twenty years later, she acknowledged the profound impact it had on her cricketing journey, as it marked the beginning of a transformative chapter in her career.

"Just like what Bazball is doing to many these days, it was absolutely inspirational. It's amazing what the guys have been able to do to Test cricket over the last two years. They've taken the game to the next level. It's entertaining, inspirational, they've got the entire country talking about it. Surely they're doing a lot of things right,” she concluded.