Taniya super excited to get the feel of IPL

Gaurav Kanthwal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 17

Chandigarh wicketkeeper-batswoman Taniya Bhatia is super excited to be part of the one-off Women’s T20 Challenge match to be played on May 22 ahead of the IPL Qualifier 1 in Mumbai.

Bhatia will get to rub shoulders with the top international women cricketers when IPL Trailblazers will take on IPL Supernova in a unique opportunity for the women cricketers in a T20 format.

“I am super excited on being selected for IPL Supernova team. It is a great platform to showcase my talent in front of millions of cricket fans in India and abroad. I idolise Australian wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy and I am looking forward to meet her and interact with her. Hopefully, she will give tips to improve my game. If I do well in this match, it will be good for me as IPL may open window for the women’s cricket in the near future. Then, I can stake my claim convincingly,” said Taniya. 

The 20-year-old, who is currently attending the national camp for the upcoming Asia Cup (in June) in Mumbai, has fast risen from ranks and is now an emerging talent on the national scene. The rising cricketer from the city has worked a lot on her fitness in the past one month. “I have worked on my core fitness and also devoted time on improving my skills for the upcoming T20 season,” she added. The one-off match will have top cricketers like Healy, Meg Lanning, Mithali Raj and Smriti Mandhana in action on May 22.

The Indian women’s T20 vice-captain Smriti Mandhana-led IPL Trailblazers will be up against Harmanpreet Kaur-led IPL Supernovas. As many as 26 women players including 10 international stars from Australia, England and New Zealand will be in action.