There are dreams, and then there is a post-dream reality. Milly Illingworth, on Thursday (November 27) had a bit of both. After going unsold in the first round of the WPL 2026 Auction, she went to bed thinking that was that.

"I saw I got passed in, and I didn't know there was (another) round, so I went to bed," Illingworth told cricket.com.au.

"And then I woke up to a crazy couple of messages, and I nearly had a heart attack when I saw it.

"Waking up a Mumbai Indian was very, very cool."

For a 20-year-old quick from Geelong, just the opportunity to share a dressing room with Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews and Amelia Kerr promises to be a real treat. But it’s someone else that Milly is most excited sharing the stage (and the new ball) with. 

"I've got one of my idols I'm playing alongside," she said while speaking about the pace legend who's also back in the Blue and Gold, Shabnim Ismail. "I'm just super excited to get over there and give it a crack."

We are just as excited to have you over, Milly! Welcome to the Blue and Gold. Let’s rattle some stumps, shall we?