Mumbai batter Simran Shaikh's father has said that while his entire family spent their lives in the alleys of the Dharavi slum in the city, the youngster's massive Women's Premier League deal will help them improve their lifestyle. A wireman by profession, Jahid Shaikh revealed that 11 members of his family live in a two-room house in Mumbai.

Simran became the costliest player of the WPL mini-auction 2025, being bought by the Gujarat Giants for Rs 1.9 crore even as veteran India player Sneh Rana went unsold in Bengaluru.

Jahid opened up on how he hopes that Simran's big-money deal will help his family get a better life now, after the mega deal bagged by his daughter.

“Zindagi bhar yeh gali-kuchar mein nikal diya. Zhopde mein rahe. (Our whole lives we have lived near narrow lanes with open gutters in the slum). Eleven people in our family live in two rooms. Now with this money, we will buy a good house and live a decent life," Jahid said while speaking to The Indian Express.

Simran lauded her father for never stopping her from playing cricket despite the family's financial condition and all the opposition he faced.

“Coming from a Muslim family and being underprivileged, it wasn’t an easy choice to play cricket. I remember people telling my father, ‘Jahid, kya kar raha hai tu (What are you doing?). It is time she learns ghar ka kaam (household work)," Simran said.

The Mumbai batter had a forgettable WPL in its inaugural edition in 2023 when she represented the UP Warriorz. Simran scored just 29 runs in seven matches, with a best score of 11.

The Mumbai batter scored 176 runs at a strike rate of 100.57 in the recent Senior Women's T20 Trophy and grabbed eyeballs with her big-hitting skills.

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