Shikha Pandey has proven herself as a reliable all-rounder for the Indian team. Born on 12 May 1989 in Ramagundam, she evolved into a dependable right-handed batter and a sharp right-arm medium-pace bowler, especially adept at performing in high-pressure situations. Throughout her career, she has donned the Indian jersey across all formats—Tests, ODIs, and T20Is—delivering consistent contributions with both bat and ball. In one-day internationals, she has amassed over 500 runs while also taking 75 wickets. In T20Is, she has surpassed 40 wickets and provided valuable runs from the lower order. Though Pandey has not featured for India in nearly three years, her impressive domestic performances ensured franchises remained keen on her services. RCB initially tried to outbid UPW by increasing their offer to ₹2 crore. After a pause at ₹2.2 crore, UP Warriorz responded with a ₹2.4 crore bid, which ultimately won them the experienced pacer.