Limited means, big dreams: Jamtara's Lakshmi and Purnima make Jharkhand U-19 team

Lakshmi Kumari and Purnima Kumari have earned places in the Jharkhand Under-19 women's cricket team after battling financial difficulties and social taunts, with both now hoping to play for India.Jamtara's Lakshmi and Purnima battle poverty, taunts to break into Jharkhand U-19 team (India Today Photo)Jamtara,Oct 6, 2026 17:43 ISTBy: Debashish BharatiJamtara may be known for its association with cybercrime, but two young women cricketers from Karmatar are giving the district a different identity. Lakshmi Kumari and Purnima Kumari have made it to the Jharkhand Under-19 women's cricket team despite coming from families with limited means. Both will represent Jharkhand in the BCCI Under-19 State Championship T20 2026-27 season.Lakshmi, from Dumaria village in Karmatar, comes from a modest family. Her father works as a mechanic at a breakfast shop and earns around Rs 12,000 to Rs 13,000 a month. The family has four daughters and a son.Money has always been tight, but her family never stopped Lakshmi from playing cricket. Her mother Kiran Devi said Lakshmi would often leave for practice after eating rice and dal. She would train in the morning before going to school. The medals and certificates kept at their small home now reflect the work she has put in over the years. Purnima lives in Shanti Nagar in Karmatar. Her father runs a small chicken shop in the local market and has four children to support. He, too, stood by his daughter's decision to take up cricket.Purnima faced comments from people in the neighbourhood when she would leave home in trousers and a shirt to play cricket. Some would taunt the family, saying, "They have turned a girl into a boy." Her family did not pay much attention to the comments, and Purnima continued to train. Her hard work has now earned her a place in the Jharkhand Under-19 team.The Vidyasagar Sports Academy has been an important part of the journey of both players. Academy coach and founder Niwas Mandal has been providing free cricket training to girls for nearly eight years. The academy has also trained players from financially weaker families despite limited support.The academy's ground, around six kilometres from Karmatar, became the place where Lakshmi and Purnima trained regularly. Their coach describes both players as hardworking and disciplined.Their selection has also given Lakshmi and Purnima a bigger target. Both want to play for India one day and wear the blue jersey of the Indian women's cricket team.Their journey is also a story of families who backed their daughters despite financial difficulties and social pressure. For Lakshmi and Purnima, the Jharkhand Under-19 team is another step towards a dream they have been chasing for years.- Ends