Shreyanka Patil was asked about online trolls at the India Today Roundtable Karnataka on August 26, 2026. Her answer carried no defensiveness and no anger. Just clarity.
“I don’t see trolls as trolls because I love what I’m doing.”
Shreyanka Patil, India Today Roundtable Karnataka, August 26, 2026
The 24-year-old India spinner had faced a wave of criticism after posting a dance reel to “Babli Badmaash Hai” on Instagram around August 11. The video went viral. Fans loved it. Trolls called it a distraction from cricket, questioned her priorities, and told her to focus on the game.
She did not delete the video. She did not go quiet. She went to a public event and said what she meant.
“Whether you troll me, criticise me or appreciate me, I think it’s all for my good. I love being on Instagram, I love dancing, and I love wearing the dresses I want to wear. I’m not shy about saying that because I’m comfortable with who I am.”
Shreyanka Patil, India Today Roundtable Karnataka, August 26, 2026
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“I love doing what I love, and trolls are just going to remain trolls. They’re probably just jealous that I’m doing well.”
Shreyanka Patil, India Today Roundtable Karnataka, August 26, 2026
The criticism followed a familiar pattern. Women cricketers in India face scrutiny for what they do off the field in ways their male counterparts never do. Male players post dance reels, fashion content, and brand promotions without question. When Shreyanka Patil did the same, it became a controversy.
The difference is that the trolling reached someone it could not touch. Not because she is thick-skinned. Because she has already been through something far worse.
In March 2024, Shreyanka won the WPL Purple Cap with 13 wickets in 8 matches. She took 4/12 in the final as RCB won their first WPL title. Then her body broke down. A hairline fracture sustained during that final kept her out for months. She missed the Women’s Asia Cup 2024. She missed the entire WPL 2025 season. The absence stretched to 13-14 months.
During rehab, she reached the edge.
“I didn’t want to play cricket anymore. I was done with it. Why me? Why am I getting injured so many times?”
Shreyanka Patil, India Today Roundtable Karnataka, August 26, 2026
She spoke to other players going through similar struggles: Sai Sudarshan, Riyan Parag, Mayank Yadav. “Once I started talking to people, it’s when I got to know, okay, I’m not the only one,” she said on the RCB Podcast in February 2026. A web series called Operation Safed Sagar, about military sacrifice, shifted her thinking. “It completely changed my perspective,” she said at the Roundtable. “There’s nothing like that. You can have a bad day and still wake up and play.”
The Comeback That Made Trolls Irrelevant
RCB retained Shreyanka for WPL 2026 at Rs 60 lakh despite her 14-month absence. She sought death-bowling advice from Jasprit Bumrah at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence before the season.
The results spoke immediately. On January 17, 2026, she took 5/23 against Gujarat Giants at DY Patil Stadium, becoming the youngest bowler to claim a five-wicket haul in WPL history. She finished the season with 11 wickets in 9 matches at an economy of 9.02. RCB won their second WPL title.
| Season | Matches | Wickets | Best | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WPL 2023 | 7 | 6 | – | Debut season |
| WPL 2024 | 8 | 13 | 4/12 | Purple Cap |
| WPL 2025 | 0 | – | – | Injured |
| WPL 2026 | 9 | 11 | 5/23 | Title winner |
Then came the Women’s T20 World Cup in England. On June 18, Shreyanka injured her right ankle while fielding against the Netherlands in the opening over. She was ruled out. Prema Rawat replaced her.
Two months later, she was posting dance reels and refusing to apologize for it.
Insider Read
When you have spent over a year in rehab, not knowing if your ankle will hold up for one more over, a comment on Instagram about your dance video does not register. I have seen this shift in players who come back from long injuries. The scale inside your head resets completely.
Before the injury, public criticism occupies real space. You read the comments, you adjust, you self-censor. After 14 months of waking up and asking yourself whether your career is over, that space is gone. It has been filled by something heavier, something that social media noise can never outweigh. Shreyanka’s comfort with herself is not a personality trait she was born with. It is what remains after the worst possible version of your career has already happened and you survived it.
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