As the 10th edition of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) approaches, the overseas players draft is scheduled for September 1.
Following the initial release of nominations featuring top international cricketers, the league has now unveiled the Indian nominees, including Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Shreyanka Patil, Titas Sadhu, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Sajana Sajeevan, Shikha Pandey, and Sneh Rana, among others. Nominations from England, the West Indies, and Pakistan were also announced earlier.
Players are drafted into Platinum, Gold, Silver, or Bronze categories, and clubs must select at least two during the draft. Players not pre-signed will be eligible for retention with their previous club’s retention pick in the drafts, while those signed under pre-draft agreements are allocated a pick corresponding to their salary band.
India’s first WBBL signing for 2024, under this new provision, saw star opener Smriti Mandhana ink a deal with the Adelaide Strikers ahead of the draft day.
Complete list of Indian players nominated for the WBBL draft:
Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Shreyanka Patil, Titas Sadhu, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, Yastika Bhatia, Shikha Pandey, Sneh Rana, Dayalan Hemalatha, Sajana Sajeevan, Mannat Kashyap, Meghana Sabbineni, Veda Krishnamurthy, Mona Meshram, Meghna Singh
India’s prominent cricketers Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Deepti Sharma were announced in the first list of player nominations for the upcoming WBBL season. Of the three, Harmanpreet Kaur is eligible for retention by the Melbourne Renegades, having played for them last summer, where she scored 321 runs in 14 matches with a strike rate just over 100 and an average of 29.18, while also taking 9 wickets.
Harmanpreet was among the first Indian players to feature in the league, debuting for Sydney Thunder and staying for two more seasons before switching to the Renegades in the 2021/22 season. To date, she has accumulated 1,440 runs in 58 matches and claimed 36 wickets from 38 innings, with her best performances being 81* with the bat and 4/27 with the ball.
Deepti Sharma made an impressive debut in the WBBL during the 2021/22 season with the Sydney Thunder, scoring 211 runs in 11 innings at an average of 35.16. She also made her mark with the ball, taking 13 wickets in 13 matches while maintaining an economy rate of 7.15.
Left-arm spinner Radha Yadav debuted in the same season with the Sydney Sixers, where she picked up 9 wickets in 12 matches at an economy rate of 6.81, while also contributing effectively with the bat and in the field. Given her success in India’s premier T20 competition, the Women’s Premier League, and her tally of 90 wickets in 77 T20Is, Radha could be a strong contender for selection in the upcoming WBBL season.
Veda Krishnamurthy made her WBBL debut with the Hobart Hurricanes in the 2017/18 season, where she scored 144 runs in 9 matches and took 1 wicket.
Jemimah Rodrigues, alongside Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, has played multiple seasons in the league. She debuted with the Melbourne Renegades in the 2021/22 season, impressing with 333 runs in 13 matches at a strike rate of 116.43. However, her performance dipped in the following season with the Melbourne Stars, where she managed only 44 runs in 5 matches.
Among the 19 players nominated for the draft, each has made a mark in international cricket or is a prominent figure in India’s domestic circuit. Some are former regulars, while others have recently gained recognition in the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL). Notably, Shreyanka Patil (2023) and Shikha Pandey (2024) have also showcased their talents in the Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL).
Previously, the league bosses had advocated for increased Indian participation to boost viewership numbers. While the WBBL has been predominantly dominated by English players, it remains to be seen whether the participation of Indian players will increase in the upcoming season.
