MI Story ft. Amelia Kerr - Watch the full video here

Beyond the runs, beyond the records, beyond the stats, beyond the results, cricket is about these human stories, a sport that forms one giant wing and takes everyone under it. Amelia Kerr was this child prodigy bursting onto the scene at the age of 16. At 17, she smashed an epic 232 in an ODI, the highest individual score in women’s cricket. And as if that wasn’t enough, picked up a fifer in the same game. She is a World Cup winner. She has bagged a couple of WPLs. This isn’t that story. This is the story of everything that has gone on in between what appears on screen. And her strength to rise. 

“Cricket never felt hard,” said Amelia in a special chat with Mumbai Indians. “I mean, cricket is a hard game and there is failure, but for me cricket was always my happy place.”

She was born into a family full of cricketers. Her grandfather, parents and older sister have all been professional cricketers. By 2020, four years into her international career, she was already touted as the next big thing in world cricket.

“Cricket was such a safe place and a happy place for her. But between the moments of playing games and training, she did have a lot of moments of sadness,” said Jess Kerr, Amelia’s sister and White Ferns teammate.

“In 2020, I guess I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety,” Amelia said. “The weight just became unbearable and too much. I wasn’t who I was. It was like my soul was taken out of me and there was nothing left to me. Yeah, it was no doubt the absolute lowest I’ve ever been in life.

“The real turning point was when I got sent home from a training camp with New Zealand due to safety reasons. I didn’t see my dad cry very much growing up, so to see him break down like that absolutely shattered me. I felt as though I was sitting in a room watching my own funeral.”

In this deep, dark place, she found strength in her family. Acknowledging the need for help and cultivating a support system with some of the senior players within the side was the next step. She refused to let this be the end.

“I think initially she held back how she was feeling with the senior players. But when she had one really bad incident, I think she learned extremely quickly that that wasn’t the right way to deal with it,” said Suzie Bates, her cricketing idol and teammate in the New Zealand Women’s side.

“It actually takes a lot of work and you need a good support network around you, but ultimately, you have to really help yourself. To be willing to do that at my lowest is something I am proud of,” added Amelia.

It was cricket that became her safe space. It was cricket that became her strength. It was cricket that brought about the healing.

“At a time when things were pretty tough for me, cricket was my safe space. Cricket was what I always wanted to be back for. It was a motivator. Yeah, there was fear. But I didn’t want to let that fear stop me. I think during that time, it was massive for me to be able to get myself back on the field.

“Probably after that period, the bad days started becoming less.”

Today, Amelia is an inspiration with millions of girls around the world looking up to her. She’s been shattering records, and at Mumbai Indians, the fans don’t know her as Amelia. The relationship here is deeply personal.

“When people here call me Mumbai-Kerr, it feels less like a nickname and more like a connection. Like being welcomed into something inclusive. I’ve learnt that loving cricket doesn’t mean losing yourself to it. It means growing alongside it, letting it challenge you.

“Our journey doesn’t have to look perfect to be meaningful. You just have to keep finding your way back to what feels true.“