NEW DELHI: At 37, Shabnim Ismail still thrives on speed. The South African fast bowler continues to bowl with the same fiery pace that made her the world’s fastest bowler in women’s cricket — clocking an incredible 132.1 km/h during a WPL match in March 2024. Speed remains her calling card, and she loves letting the ball do the talking.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!After playing a crucial role in Mumbai Indians’ title-winning WPL 2025 campaign, Ismail is back in blue again. She was bought for Rs 60 lakh at the WPL mini auction and returns as one of the franchise’s biggest match-winners.
“I’m so happy to be back at Mumbai Indians. What a wonderful franchise to be a part of. I have been there for two seasons and have enjoyed myself. I had a slight idea I might go back to MI because they love keeping their family together,” Shabnim told MumbaiIndians.com.Alongside her, Mumbai Indians have strengthened their pace unit by adding two new overseas seamers — Nicola Carey and Milly Illingworth.“Super excited for them to be part of the Mumbai Indians family. I think they’ll thoroughly enjoy themselves here. Milly, what a young gun she is! She’s quick, she’s fiery, I actually love watching her bowl. It’s going to be super special for Nic (Carey) as well. She has been swinging the ball like crazy lately. Bringing their skill and talent to the MI team is going to be pretty good for us,” she said.Mumbai Indians lifted the WPL trophy in 2025 after beating Delhi Capitals in a nail-biting final. Ismail was instrumental in the win, bowling a brilliant spell of 4 overs for just 15 runs, including the prized wicket of Shafali Verma. Despite posting just 149/7, MI held their nerve to restrict Delhi to 141/9.“Oh, what a thriller it was! I initially thought the score was a bit below par, but then also, I thought we had the bowlers to defend any total. At the halfway stage, we came together and spoke about keeping it really simple. We knew we had the game. But then when Marizanne Kapp was in the middle, she gave us a bit of a shock. She was going really well. We knew we had to get her wicket. It was very, very stressful. But I always say, the calm heads are the ones that get over the line,” she recalled.Reflecting on what makes the Mumbai Indians dressing room special, Shabnim pointed to the unity and leadership within the group.“We have a pretty special bunch in the team. We’ve got Nat (Sciver-Brunt), we’ve got Healy (Matthews), we’ve got Melie (Amelia Kerr), Amanjot (Kaur), Harry (Harmanpreet Kaur) as the captain. The greatest memory for me was winning the WPL Final. The year before that we lost a close game to RCB, and then coming back and winning the WPL is a memory that will last forever. What makes us so successful is that we believe we are One Family and that’s one thing all players buy into. We all believe in our goal, we walk together, we take baby steps to the top, and whether we win or lose, we stick together as a team,” she said.Now retired from international cricket, Ismail continues to push herself to stay among the elite fast bowlers in the world.“I actually get asked this so many times about my speed after retiring from international cricket. For me, it is all about being professional on and off the field, maintaining my body as well as possible. At the age of 37, you know what your body needs and doesn’t. It’s about working out when I need to, making sure I am fit, healthy and ready to go.”And when asked about her secret, she smiled and said: “The special ingredient is spicy food. I love spicy food. It is one of the things that keeps me going. I still want to be one of the top and quickest bowlers in the world, and I think that has always been my goal. But having said that, I have tried and be as consistent as possible throughout my career. Yeah, just trying to bowl as fast as possible at this age.”
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