The BCCI has granted No Objection Certificates to four Indian women cricketers who will go on to participate in the inaugural tournament The Hundred, scheduled to begin on July 21st in London. The four players are Indian T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, star all-rounder Deepti Sharma and Jemimah Rodrigues. A total of 8 teams will be participating in the tournament, with 24 overseas players involved.
“We have given NOC to four players and they are Harmanpreet, Smriti, Jemimah, and Deepti. It should be a good experience for these players to go and be part of this new league,” a BCCI official was quoted as per ANI.
The ‘Fabulous Four’ are all set to shine at ‘The Hundred’ 😃
Which team are you supporting? @thehundred #TheHundred pic.twitter.com/5wypvjw0kW
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) May 6, 2021
All four players of the Indian contingent will continue to stay in the UK after the completion of the one-off Test, T20I, and ODI series against England, ending July 15th. Earlier in 2019, the 4 had made their way into the Kia Super League, which used to be the ECB’s domestic T20 tournament.
Out of the 8 teams involved, only 4 teams have vacant overseas players slots available. The teams are – London Spirit, Northern Superchargers, Southern Brave, and Manchester Originals. The other 4 teams namely Birmingham Phoenix, Oval Invincibles, Trent Rockets, and Welsh Fire have completed their squad including the overseas players.
Thus the four Indian players have been placed in 4 different teams- Smriti Mandhana goes to Southern Brave, Jemimah Rodrigues goes to Northern Superchargers, Harmanpreet Kaur goes to Manchester Originals, and Deepti Sharma goes to London Spirit.
The Hundred will kick start with a women’s tournament this year, after being canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first match will be played between Manchester Originals and Oval Invincibles in London on July 21, followed by the Birmingham Phoenix locking horns with London Spirit at Edgbaston on July 23.
As for the England tour, the Indian squad hasn’t been announced yet, and the head coach will also be appointed soon. Details about the team traveling to England are to be worked out as the hosts have suspended all flights from India due to the surge of Covid-19 cases in the country. But as per reports, the team will have to report on 27th May.
The Hundred will prove to be a big motivation for the Indian women as after the inaugural tournament, it will open the doors for more players to participate in the next seasons.
I’m a Senior Masters student pursuing Journalism and Mass Communication. An all time Cricket enthusiast. I could never play the game but always loved watching it, and now writing about it!