From Shafali Verma to Sophie Ecclestone, Top 10 of the WPL 2023 lineup

The stage is ready for the inaugural version of the Womens Premier League (WPL), to be held from March 4 to 26 in Mumbai, as the squads have assembled, raring to compete to be topped the champions.

In the inaugural version, 5 groups — Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and UP Warriorz — splurged their purse to purchase some of the greatest skills in the worldwide and home circuit.

IANS takes a have a look at the prime 10 ladies cricketers who could make an impression with their talent units in the inaugural version of WPL.

* Smriti Mandhana (Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rs 3.4 crore)

The costliest purchase in the WPL public sale, Smriti Mandhana has been one of the pillars of the Indian batting line-up throughout codecs.

The two-time ICC participant of the yr hammered her career-best T20I rating of 87 in opposition to Ireland to raise her aspect into the ICC T20 World Cup semifinals in South Africa, earlier than India went down preventing in opposition to Australia in the last-four conflict on Thursday.

She was at her greatest in the 2022 Commonwealth Games and hammered 159 runs in 5 video games at a surprising strike charge of 151.42.

In December final yr, Mandhana broke West Indies’ Stafanie Taylor’s world document of most 50+ scores whereas chasing in ladies’s T20Is. The Indian batter has 12 fifty-plus scores, yet another than Taylor.

* Shafali Verma (Delhi Capitals, Rs 2 crore)

Shafali Verma, identified for her fearless model of cricket, is kind of useful with the ball as properly, and is at instances seen taking part in the position of a sixth bowler for the Women in Blue. She additionally confirmed her management abilities whereas guiding India to title triumph in the U-19 T20 World Cup final month.

The hard-hitting opening batter made her worldwide debut aged 15 and since then she has featured in 21 ODIs, scoring 531 runs at a strike charge of 83.62.

In T20Is, she has smashed 1,333 runs in 56 video games with a highest rating of 73. The 19-year-old has additionally plied her commerce with Women’s Big Bash League golf equipment Birmingham Phoenix and Sydney sixers.

* (*10*) Kaur (Mumbai Indians, Rs 1.8 crore)

The India skipper is a fearless batter and a useful off-spinner. She has been a constant performer for India and may change the course of the recreation in a matter of overs. The 33-year-old comes with huge expertise, having performed greater than 270 video games for the Women in Blue with over 6,000 runs to her title throughout codecs.

* Richa Ghosh (Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rs 1.90 crore)

Ghosh made her worldwide debut in 2020 and has already gained an honest quantity of expertise at the worldwide degree. She has performed 17 ODIs and 30 T20Is, scoring 311 and 427 runs, respectively. Ghosh has impressed every one along with her potential to rating fast runs in the shortest format, hanging at 134.27.

The 19-year-old wicketkeeper-batter, who was half of India’s victorious squad at the ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup, is slowly rising into the position of a finisher. Ghosh’s six-hitting prowess is there for all to see and he or she can be a succesful hand behind the stumps.

* Deepti Sharma (UP Warriorz, Rs 2.6 crore)

Deepti Sharma, one of the most interesting all-rounders in ladies’s cricket, has performed greater than 150 worldwide matches throughout codecs. She is the participant who lends steadiness to the crew along with her very important contributions with each bat and ball.

She has been constantly scoring helpful runs as a lower-middle-order batter. On the bowling entrance, Deepti is arguably India’s greatest spinner at the second.

Deepti has a incredible document with each bat and ball in all the three codecs. She has performed two Test matches, scoring 152 runs at 76 and selecting up 5 wickets. In 80 ODIs, she has aggregated 1,891 runs and scalped 91 wickets. In the shortest format, Deepti has 86 caps with 898 runs and 95 wickets to her title.

The ace all-rounder has additionally proven her captaincy abilities in the Women’s T20 Challenge 2022, main Velocity to the ultimate of the competitors.

* Natalie Sciver (Mumbai Indians, Rs 3.20 crore)

England’s Natalie Sciver is one of these gamers who has made heads flip each time she has stepped on to the cricket subject. She has put up an exhibition of her wonderful stroke play and demolished top-quality bowling line-ups. She has left the world amazed along with her distinctive bowling abilities.

Sciver has racked up 3,009 runs in 94 ODIs in addition to bagging 65 wickets. She has been magnificent for England in T20Is, scoring 2,135 runs in 107 matches and selecting up 79 wickets.

Sciver, along with her potential to contribute in each departments, is a precious addition to the Mumbai-based franchise.

* Tahlia McGrath (UP Warriorz, Rs 1.40 crore)

Destructive with the bat and efficient with the ball, all-rounder Tahlia McGrath has established herself as one of the greatest gamers in the world and a frontrunner in the Australia aspect.

Her document throughout all the codecs is solely staggering. In T20Is, she has performed 21 matches, scoring 549 runs at 68.62 whereas hanging at 140.76, in addition to selecting up 13 wickets. She has additionally performed 22 ODIs and three Tests, scoring 357 and 161 runs, respectively.

Since her worldwide debut in 2016, the 27-year-old has regularly turn out to be one of the premier all-rounders in world cricket.

* Marizanne Kapp (Delhi Capitals, Rs 1.5 crore)

Marizanne Kapp offers the benefit of tempo and swing, in addition to lower-order batting muscle. She is a big-game participant, and has gained back-to-back Women’s Hundred titles with the Oval Invincibles, in addition to profitable the 2021 WBBL title with the Perth Scorchers.

* Deandra Dottin (Gujarat Giants, Rs 60 lakh)

Deandra Dottin of the West Indies is one of the most dynamic and formidable all-rounders in world cricket. She brings worldwide expertise to Gujarat with greater than 250 matches, 6,000 plus profession runs and 134 wickets to her title.

Dottin has 5 worldwide centuries, together with an unbeaten 150, and two five-wicket hauls underneath her belt. She was the first girl to rating a T20I century again in 2010, posting a 38-ball ton in opposition to South Africa — a feat that is still the quickest by a lady in the format.

Dottin will add real match-winning qualities to the Giants’ squad.

* Sophie Ecclestone (UP Warriorz, Rs 1.80 crore)

The top-ranked bowler from England is a seasoned campaigner in the shortest format of the recreation. The gradual left-arm orthodox spinner was in prime kind in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup for her crew earlier than England misplaced in opposition to hosts South Africa in the semifinal.

She can function at full throttle on the spin-friendly Indian pitches. A good striker of the ball, Ecclestone can even contribute with the bat decrease down the order.

–IANS

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(Only the headline and film of this report could have been reworked by the Business Standard workers; the relaxation of the content material is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)