The Women’s Premier League (WPL) recently had its inaugural edition conclude with Harmanpreet Kaur-led Mumbai Indians handing Meg Lanning-led Delhi Capitals a defeat in the Final. Below, we bring to you a few names from the tournament who repeatedly earned a buzz among fans and grabbed headlines for all good reasons.
Saika Ishaque
The 27-year-old from Bengal featured as a regular for the Mumbai Indians and had a memorable tournament having struck 15 scalps at an average of 16.26, an economy rate of 7.00, and a strike rate of 13.9. The left-arm off-spinners best figures of 4/11 had come against Gujarat Giants in the tournaments curtain raiser and over the next few games, Saika bagged wickets consistently but couldn’t close the tournament on a high as she had 4 wicketless outings. Nevertheless, her skill was on display and is a sure-shot India debutant sooner than later.
Shreyanka Patil
The 20-year-old plays for Karnataka and had the opportunity to feature for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. She, in 6 innings with the bat scored 62 runs at a strike rate of 151.21 and on the back of a consistent run with the ball, had a commendable first season. Shreyanka started off well with the bat with a 23 against Mumbai but couldn’t carry on as she then only managed a couple of starts (11* and 15). She was given the hard overs to bowl and still managed to bag 5 wickets at an economy rate of 9.84.
Kanika Ahuja
The 20-year-old plays for Punjab domestically, and in the WPL was seen in the Red and Black for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Kanika finished with only 74 runs to her name off 6 innings averaging 16.33 at a strike rate of 132.43 and registered the highest score of 46. Kanika caught the eyes of many with her fearless cricket that was on display against the UP Warriorz while she struck a fine 30-ball 46 (8×4, 1×6) and helped RCB get their first win of the season in the 6th game to stay alive in the season. She’s raw but has shown glimpses of her capabilities and is surely one to keep an eye on.
Parshavi Chopra
Just 16 and don’t let her age fool you as she’s got skills beyond her years. Parshavi was at the WPL on the back of an impressive Under-19 World Cup outing which saw her strike 11 wickets in 6 games at an economy rate of 3.66. In the WPL, she played 4 games for the UP Warriorz and didn’t miss out on the opportunity to leave her mark in the tournament. With figures of 2/29 (4) against Gujarat Giants and an economical outing against Delhi Capitals, she caught headlines.
Jintimani Kalita
The 19-year-old from Assam’s Mangaldoi featured for Mumbai Indians and didn’t fail to make a name for herself in a star-studded line-up. While Jintimani didn’t have a lot to do at the title-winning franchise, having only bowled 5 overs and faced a few deliveries, she bagged her maiden WPL wicket and a flying catch she held on to against Gujarat Giants helped her make a name for herself.