In match no. 14 of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025, Royal Challengers Bengaluru were up against table-toppers Delhi Capitals in a much-anticipated clash. As the clock ticked to 7:00 PM IST, captain Meg Lanning won the toss and elected to bowl first. The skipper announced that Nallapureddy Charani will make her WPL debut, coming in place of pacer Titas Sadhu.
N. Charani appeared as one of the most in-demand cricketers at the auction table. With a base price set at INR 10 lakh, a bidding war rose among two franchises, with the Capitals ultimately securing the services of the uncapped Indian player for INR 55 lakh, winning the competition against the Mumbai Indians. The Capitals’ made a plough in Charani’s talent- highlighting their confidence in the nascent career.
Bringing the domestic numbers of the left-arm orthodox in the picture, N. Charani has been a decent performer for Andhra Pradesh, delivering imposing spells in the Women’s Under-23 T20 Trophy.
She played a massive role with the ball, scalping 12 wickets in just six outings at an incredibly good average of 7.91. Her ability to compose pressure on the opposition was noticeable in her exceptional economy rate of 3.95, while her strike rate of 12 highlighted her potential of breaking dangerous partnerships at regular instances. Her efforts saw her finish as the 11th highest wicket-taker in the competition.
She was a standout performer for the state in Women’s Under-23 ODI Trophy as well, where she continued to ask tough equations from the batters. Across eight innings, she claimed 11 wickets at an average of 14.54.
What stood out was her jaw-dropping economy rate of just 2.22 runs per over, demonstrating her ability to strike-through while maintaining the rate at the least possible value. With such fantastic performances, Charani has emerged as a reliable bowler in the domestic circuit, making a strong case for higher opportunities as well.
On her WPL debut for the two-time runners-up, N. Charani had a sensational time with the ball as she finished her four-over spell with 2 wickets in the kitty, conceding just 28 runs. The Challengers finished at a score of 147/5, but it could’ve been more, had it not been a defining 17th over of Charani. On the first ball of the over, she enticed Raghvi Bist with her slow spin and stumped out the batter.
On the penultimate ball of her 3rd over, she dismissed the dangerous power-hitter Richa Ghosh on a score of 5, bringing the momentum of the game in the favour of the home team.
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