After the recent and one of the most heated events in women’s cricket i.e., The ICC Women’s Twenty20 World cup, it is time to shift our attention and gear up and get ready for the domestic vibes and the love of all time the – ‘Women’s Big Bash League’ season 04. This whole tournament was scheduled to be run from 1st December 2018 to 26th January 2019 in Australia. There will be 8 teams (Sydney Sixers, Sydney Thunder, Melbourne Stars, Perth Scorchers, Adelaide Strikers, Melbourne Renegades, Hobart Hurricanes and Brisbane Heat) fighting for the trophy with players from all over the globe. So here it goes again for the season with 59 matches each embraced with thundering sixes, flying wickets, nail biting finishes, and a huge stir and love for cricket.
Where women’s cricket is slowly inching towards the world of absolute professionalism and appreciation from the world, India has produced some absolutely stunning and players with traits of becoming golden names in the books of cricket.
It feels very proud and honoured as an Indian to see the two gems of Indian cricket that indeed are amongst the finest in the world – Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur playing in this huge event. Smriti Mandhana who has played for Brisbane Heat in season two will this time be a part of Hobart Hurricanes. Harmanpreet Kaur by extending her association with Sydney Thunder has made this her third successive season. Both have also played for England’s Kia Super league this year and both of them have also captained the two teams at the first ever women’s IPL Exhibition Match earlier this year. Here’s why Mandhana and Kaur are great choices for the tourney.
SMRITI MANDHANA
Talking about Smriti, she has been known for her aggressive and explosive batting at the top order. Holding great records in T20s and also in ODIs, she has displayed her ingenious and masterly performance in various formats and conditions. Handling situations when the team has gone through a rough patch and her changing the face of match has been what she is seen to create milestones. Earlier this year she registered her fastest 50 record in Women’s T20I’s sharing the title with Sophie Devine and which indeed was remarkable and delightful one! She even was the highest run getter (338 runs) in the Kia Super League this year.
HARMANPREET KAUR
Harmanpreet Kaur the lioness of the Indian cricket team, who leads from the front and is seen as the one showering the ground with fours and sixes. Yes rightly guessed, the woman player who smashed an unbeaten 171 which came off just 115 deliveries at a strike rate of 148.69! Following this there are endless ‘mamma mia’ kind of achievements which this woman has achieved in a very short duration of time. Maintaining the same aggression and majestic attitude and her fearless approach towards any team and any ground she rests her sword like bat on the battleground of the 22 yards whenever this spectacular player comes to bat.
The footprints of the Indians so far…
Mandhana and Kaur have been seen performing in through varied conditions and situations to the best of their capabilities and getting through the game with more and more passion. Mandhana came up with a fabulous 41 ball 69 against the Melbourne Stars with 13 absolutely stunning boundaries and was awarded the Player of the match for the same. Her 38 off 23 deliveries composed by 1 maximum and 5 boundaries against the Perth Scorchers was another short cameo but a worth remembering one. She also added some other short cameos including a 21 off 12 against the Sydney Sixers and 29 off 22 against the Sydney Thunder. Smriti has produced some quick runs and a couple of absolutely stunning knocks as well.
On the other side, Kaur has batted with her natural instincts. She scored a brilliant 52 off just 34 deliveries against the Adelaide Strikers which comprised of 2 maximums and 6 boundaries. Her knock of 45 of 28 deliveries against the Sydney Sixers was worth applauding for. The 3 maximums that she hit in that inning of hers deserve a standing ovation for the fearlessness and the absolute class they reflected. She even scored 33 off 22 against the Adelaide Strikers encounter again with some fabulous maximums and well timed boundaries.
There sure have been some ups and downs too but still with some exceptional knocks, both Mandhana and Kaur have made sure that the music from these willows from India echo in Australia and make sure everyone knows who has come to the party.
The tournament has come almost half way and it seems like the women’s Big Bash League is producing some of the best performances this year compared to all other seasons. Till now, it was great watching our two women warriors competing with the other best in the world and has produced some great adventurous sights, crucial moments, wins, losses and what not! But what is the most crucial part is the experience. Hope this heat and enthusiasm persists ahead too and the flavour and power of Indian cricket stays.
In the shortest format of the game and the most loved one among the three, it is all about coming to the party on every occasion and standing tall for the team and these two players have been moving ahead with time to be better and better day by day with their exceptional performances.WBBL04 is the next best platform for them to prove what they are like always. We hope to see them again in their best forms, performing to their fullest, making India proud and most importantly displaying some good game of cricket. The emotions and support of millions of people have been held and honoured by them up till now and we hope with all our heart that they will keep making us proud as they keep representing our country in more such games and varying formats.
Team Female Cricket wishes them all the very best for this event!