Indian Women’s Cricket Teams’ star players and performers- Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana Jemimah Rodrigues, and Deepti Sharma have been given No Objection Certificates from the BCCI to play in the inaugural The Hundred scheduled to begin from July 21st at London.
All four players will be playing for four different teams. Kaur will be representing the Manchester Originals, and Mandhana will be representing the Southern Brave while Sharma and Rodrigues will be seen playing for London Spirit and Northern Superchargers respectively.
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
As per a report by Annesha Ghosh for ESPNcricinfo, it is understood that the four players will be signing the formal contracts soon, now that the ECB has received the NOCs from the BCCI. It has also come to notice that a fifth Indian player has been kept on standby as a potential replacement, in case the event witnesses any last withdrawals.
Indian teams’ most valuable asset and the World’s No. 1 T20I batter as per ICC Rankings- Shafali Verma is on the radar as a fifth player from India in case of any unforeseen events. The 17-year-old will fill a vacant spot only upon the unavailability of an overseas player in any of the 8 teams.
If she makes it into any of the teams by getting a contract, it will be her first-ever overseas T20I competition. By playing just 22 international matches, she has gained international recognition with her performance, especially after the 2020 World Cup.
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 now-defunct Kia Super League, which used to be the ECB’s domestic T20 tournament.
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 8 teams will see a total of 24 overseas players in the tournament – 11 Aussies’ women, 5 Proteas women, 4 Indian women, 2 Windies women, and 2 from the White Ferns.
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.
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!
