Minnu Mani Becomes the First Kerala Woman to Play for India

Minnu Mani became the first Kerala woman to play for the Indian team in an international match. She is the daughter of a daily wage labourer. She lives in the Wayanad district of Kerala. She played her first international cricket match against Bangladesh at Mirpur on July 9th 2023. 

She was capped by Smriti Mandhana, who is Minu’s favourite player. During this international T20I match, she took a wicket in the first over. She took down the Bangladesh opener Shamima Sultana with the wicket.

The local news channels broadcasted the news of Minu’s selection to the team. The locals from her hometown watched the Bangladesh and India match on the Youtube channel of the Bangladesh Cricket Board. In the match, Bangladesh made 114 runs in 20 overs. The match ended with Inda’s win when they chased down the target in 16.2 overs.