2023 will go down as one of the historic years of Indian women’s cricket. After making the path-breaking decision of pay parity last year, the BCCI is set to roll out one of its most anticipated assignments, known as the Women’s Premier League (WPL). The tournament is finally going to take shape and be it fans, experts or the players themselves; all of them are eagerly waiting to watch how it pans out. The sale of media rights and franchises has drawn huge attention from beyond the Indian borders. The craze is such that nearly 1000 players have registered themselves for the auction.
What will the five franchises look like? That’s a question which will be answered in the soon but before that, let’s have a look at some of the Indian batters who will surely spark a serious, yet exciting bidding war.
- Harmanpreet Kaur (IND)
The Indian skipper will be the favourite at the auction and there are numerous reasons for that. Harmanpreet, who is the highest run-getter in the T20Is for India, is one of the most dynamic batters the country possesses. With 2940 runs in 146 games and a strike rate of 106, she is definitely to attract a handsome bid. Not only her batting skills but she also brings a phenomenal leadership quality with her to the table.
- Smriti Mandhana (IND)
Whenever you talk about scoring runs in Indian women’s cricket, Smriti Mandhana is going to be in the top bracket of the list of players. After Harman, Smriti is the second-highest run-scorer in women’s T20I for India. 112 matches, 2651 runs and 123.13 strike-rate: the stats not only show her expertise in the shortest format of the game but also the hunger of scoring runs. Also, the Indian vice-captain has the brain of a leader which would help her team make wise decisions in demanding situations.
- Shafali Verma
After playing 50-odd games with the senior players, she was assigned to lead the Indian side in the first-ever Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup recently. Expectations were sky high and she didn’t disappoint. The youngster guided the team to a title win. With five half-centuries, she has over 1000 runs to her credit and is often compared with former India opener Virender Sehwag for her aggressive batting style. Whichever team ropes in Shafali, they’ll have their top order sorted.
- Jemimah Rodrigues
Mumbai’s Jemimah Rodrigues is one of the young guns of Team India. She has represented her country in 75 T20Is, scoring 1575 runs at an impressive strike-rate of 112.74. The right-hand batter is the perfect No. 3 option in any playing XI any on any given day. Since most of the games are likely to be played in Mumbai, Jemimah could prove to be a great asset to any team.
- Amanjot Kaur
The Punjab batter is a new face in the Indian dressing room and highly rated. Amanjot made her debut in the just-concluded women’s T20I tri-series in South Africa and bagged the Player of the Match award for her stellar show with the bat and ball. She scored an unbeaten 41, helping India set South Africa a 148-run target. The youngster might take away a life-changing deal in the upcoming auction.
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