In a league of their own
Mumbai, March 3
India’s women cricketers will not only get the much-needed exposure to take their game to the next level but also enjoy the perks of a cash-rich tournament when the Women’s Premier League (WPL) ushers in a new dawn for the sport in the country.
The 21-match tournament will commence tomorrow with Gujarat Giants taking on the Harmanpreet Kaur-led Mumbai Indians in the first match.
The WPL will not just be about the best of world cricket with big paycheques and reputations to play for but also for someone like Sneha Deepthi, who would like to prove that motherhood hasn’t robbed her of the passion to play cricket.
A certain hard-hitting Jasia Akhtar from Jammu and Kashmir will be eager to send the ball soaring into the stands and expect that people back home take her name in the same capacity as Umran Malik. For the Kaurs, Jemimah Rodrigues and the Shafali Vermas, the pressure of a high-octane tournament will prepare them for those tight games in the global tournaments which they have been struggling to close in their favour.
The inaugural edition of the T20 league — some would argue was long overdue — will feature a total of five teams and 87 players, with girls as young as 15 set to ply their trade against the world’s best. There will be 21 matches, including two knockout games, played across two venues in Mumbai.
Lucrative league
The WPL has created a compelling buzz in the cricketing world, with the five franchises being sold for a grand total of Rs 4,669 crore, which includes Adani Group’s purchase of the Gujarat franchise for a whopping Rs 1,289 crore.
The player auction witnessed a total of Rs 59.50 crore spent by the five franchises, not only providing the players with a further boost to their financial being but also ensuring a promising road ahead to youngsters.
India’s star batter Smriti Mandhana was the most expensive buy at the auction held in Mumbai — Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) bought her for Rs 3.4 crore and expectedly named her the captain. The franchise also added New Zealand’s Sophie Devine and Australia’s Ellyse Perry to its ranks. Mumbai Indians is the second costliest team in the league at Rs 912.99 crore, and its captain Kaur has been bestowed with the responsibility of a star-studded team. — PTI
Teams
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Erin Burns, Disha Kasat, Indrani Roy, Shreyanka Patil, Kanika Ahuja, Asha Shobana, Heather Knight, Dane van Niekerk, Preeti Bose, Poonam Khemnar, Komal Zanzad, Megan Schutt, Sahana Pawar
Mumbai Indians
Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amelia Kerr, Pooja Vastrakar, Yastika Bhatia, Heather Graham, Issy Wong, Amanjot Kaur, Dhara Gujjar, Saika Ishaque, Hayley Matthews, Chloe Tryon, Humaira Kazi, Priyanka Bala, Sonam Yadav, Jintamani Kalita, Neelam Bisht
UP Warriorz
Sophie Ecclestone, Deepti Sharma, Tahlia McGrath, Shabnim Ismail, Alyssa Healy, Anjali Sarvani, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Parshavi Chopra, Shweta Sehrawat, S Yashasri, Kiran Navgire, Grace Harris, Devika Vaidya, Lauren Bell, Laxmi Yadav, Simran Shaikh
Gujarat Giants
Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Sophia Dunkley, Annabel Sutherland, Harleen Deol, Deandra Dottin, Sneh Rana, S Meghana, Georgia Wareham, Mansi Joshi, D Hemalatha, Tanuja Kanwar, Monica Patel, Sushma Verma, Hurley Gala, Ashwani Kumari, Parunika Sisodia, Shabnam MD
Delhi Capitals
Jemimah Rodrigues, Meg Lanning, Shafali Verma, Radha Yadav, Shikha Pandey, Marizanne Kapp, Titas Sadhu, Alice Capsey, Tara Norris, Laura Harris, Jasia Akther, Minnu Mani, Taniya Bhatia, Jess Jonassen, Sneha Deepthi, Poonam Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Aparna Mondal
