Chandigarh, Dec. 20 -- Indian pacer Renuka Singh Thakur was snapped up by Gujarat Giants (GG) for Rs.60 lakh at the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026 auction. The 29-year-old swing bowler moved from former champions RCB to the Adani Sportsline-owned franchise, which is looking to turn the corner after three ordinary seasons. One of India's most reliable T20 bowlers, Renuka brings control and big-match temperament to GG's pace attack. In this interview, she speaks about her new franchise, lessons from RCB, India's recent World Cup win and her evolution as a bowler. Excerpts: Playing alongside different players is what excites me the most-cricketers like Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney and others. I believe that you grow as a player when you share the dressing room with different personalities. You learn about their mindset, preparation and how they handle pressure. Winning WPL and the World Cup has boosted my confidence and made me more positive. GG is a new challenge and I'm keen to make this opportunity count. GG has built a very balanced squad. There are several players who have moved from RCB to GG, so there's already comfort and familiarity. I've enjoyed playing alongside them before, and the domestic players are also close friends, which helps with communication. I bowled in partnership with Kim Garth at RCB last season and we made an impact together. I'm looking forward to continuing that kind of role. We started preparing for the World Cup a year ago and the results were in our favour. Tournaments like WPL and upcoming international series are part of that preparation. Now that India has won the World Cup, the standards are higher and we are mentally stronger. I don't set rigid goals because things can change-I was excited about the England series earlier but got injured. I prefer taking each day as it comes and focusing on delivering whenever I get the opportunity. My time at RCB was a huge learning curve and made me a better cricketer. I remember speaking to Ellyse Perry about handling high-pressure situations like Super Overs and also dealing with failure. She told me to accept things, move on and trust hard work. In my first season, my form wasn't great, but Smriti backed me, which helped me mentally. Those experiences helped me later-especially during the World Cup-when I faced pressure situations and overcame mental blocks. It feels like living a dream. I take immense pride in representing India and being part of a World Cup-winning team. From the start, we believed we could win. The early defeats didn't matter as long as we kept working on our game. We knew we would face Australia in the semis or final. Before the semifinal, Harmanpreet (Kaur) told us that we had often fallen short against Australia in big games and that it was time to change that. That belief carried us through, and now we truly feel we can beat Australia on any given day. I'm still learning. Deepti is very experienced and I often seek her inputs. I also speak a lot to Jhulan di. Whenever I need guidance, I call her, and she's always there. After the final, we had a long chat and she encouraged me to bowl to my strengths without worrying about results. She's like a bowling mentor to me. Absolutely. I'm living his dream. My mother ensured I trained and chased this path. This World Cup win is for my late father and my mother-without their support and blessings, none of this would have been possible....