Overseas players dominated the first Women’s Premier League with some intense performances over the past two weeks. The competition undoubtedly gave a fantastic platform for female cricket players of all ages to demonstrate their abilities, from Meg Lanning winning the Orange Cup to Isabelle Wong becoming one of the most sought-after bowlers.
Also successful were the Indians. Mumbai Indians skipper Harmanpreet Kaur finished the competition with 281 runs from 10 games, ranking No. 4th on the list of players who have scored the most runs. Shafali Verma, a young Indian who appeared in the top 10, finished with 252 runs in just nine innings, placing her as the other Indian in the top 10.Yastika Bhatia, Harleen Deol, and Kiran Navgire showed flashes of brilliance but failed to crack the top 10 despite their talent. All of our international athletes got along well with the young Indian athletes during our training sessions, and Harmanpreet is positive that the Indian children would benefit much from having had the chance to play with some of cricket’s finest players in the future. Matthews did a great job.She chatted with every player individually and covered a few topics. It has been a fantastic learning experience for our homegrown athletes.
When the WPL began, only a small number of Indian internationals had the chance to play in foreign leagues like the Women’s Big Bash League or The Hundred. Even while some of the younger women failed to maintain consistency, such as Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, or Deepti Sharma, Saika Ishaque, Shreyanka Patil, and Hemalatha Dayalan made the most of the chance. They did not give the sense that they were making their debut on such a large stage by playing a daring brand of cricket.
Bengali spinner Ishaque, who claimed 15 victims in 10 innings, was among the top five wicket-takers. Ishaque led Mumbai Indians early in the league, making significant strides when they were needed. Ishaque’s performance garnered a lot of attention even though the international players moved up the leaderboard as the competition went on. Another standout performer in the competition was Shreyanka from Bangalore. By relying on her all-around abilities, she captured six wickets while making a substantial contribution to RCB’s lower-order batting. Also, India captain Harmanpreet was captivated by her energetic performance.
Harmanpreet thinks that the teenagers’ accomplishments in the WPL will aid in their development, especially with multiple ICC events scheduled over the following few of years. “There is pressure at this point. You merely need to learn how to maintain your composure while performing. There aren’t much differences in terms of talents, however. Work is being put in by everyone. The only area where they might need to improve is their mental fitness, according to Harmanpreet.
And even the players would hope so. Several young players, such Titas Sadhu and Jasia Akhtar, were not given the chance to participate in the final XI, but according to Delhi Capitals coach Jonathan Bertie, Sadhu may become one of the top players over the next few years. The WPL debut demonstrated India’s talent more than anything else. It is now time to raise them and get them ready for the next step!
