Last Update: February 01, 2023, 16:59 IST
(From Left) Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur and Tahlia McGrath. (Agencies)
The Women’s Premier League will begin in March and ahead of the much-anticipated season, we take a look at the players who could trigger a bidding war between the franchises.
A cursory glance at the social media posts of current and former women cricketers from around the world is proof enough of how much anticipation the inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League is having. From a blockbuster broadcast deal to record-breaking bids for five franchises bought in the recent team auction, the build-up to the event has been eventful.
A third, and arguably, the most important of them all, will be held later this month, all the way before the WPL bandwagon kicks off: the players’ auction.
In the Indian Premier League (BCCI’s T20 league for men’s players), the players’ auction has turned into a gripping affair with cricketers – capped/uncapped waiting with bated breath in anticipation of a life-changing deal. And the same could happen for the women stars when the auction is held for the first time for the WPL.
Here we take a look at the top-five stars who could control the lion’s share of the budget to be spent by the franchise in the auction.
Harmanpreet Kaur
Captain Superb. She has been a regular and one of the top performers India In white ball cricket. Her presence in the middle order is an assurance that Harmanpreet will rescue the team. The 33-year-old has rich experience having played in 145 T20Is in which he has scored 2919 runs at an average of 28.33 including one century and 9 half-centuries. He is also a useful off-spinner, with 32 wickets to his name across formats.
Apart from his all-round abilities, the seasoned campaigner will be sought after more for his captaincy skills. And so, a bidding war is starting.
Smriti Mandhana
From becoming the first Indian woman cricketer to score an ODI double century in 2013, Mandhana has become one of the finest batsmen of the modern era, capable of scoring consistently across formats. Her two ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year Awards (2018, 2021) are testimony to her prodigious talent.
Mandhana was the top run-getter among the top cricket-playing nations in 2022, scoring 594 runs in 21 innings at a strike-rate of 133.48. The 26-year-old is a reliable top-order batsman who can strike at will and also play the role of an anchor. In 111 T20Is, he has scored 2651 runs at 27.61 and has a strike-rate of 123.58.
Deepti Sharma
A player who is a deceptive spinner can play the role of a finisher with the bat and is a live wire in the field. Who wouldn’t be interested, right? India’s all-rounder Deepti Sharma brings with her all these qualities and a lot more. Among the top cricket-playing nations, the youngster was the top wicket-taker in the format last year with 29 scalps in 25 matches. She recently reached the top spot in the rankings for women bowlers in T20Is thanks to her stellar performance in the South Africa tri-series. Apart from this, Deepti is also working on her batting skills and has so far scored 898 runs in 62 T20 matches at a strike rate of 106.39.
Tahlia McGrath
The Australian all-rounder had a memorable 2022, for which she was awarded the ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year award. In 16 international matches, McGrath scored 435 runs at an impressive average of 62.14 and also took 13 wickets. The 27-year-old has played 21 T20Is so far in which he averages 68.62 and has a strike rate of 140.76. With the ball, he took 13 wickets in 13 innings at an economy of 7.33. She will certainly be one of the biggest players to watch at the auction.
grace harris
Indian spectators got a chance to witness the destructive powers of Aussie Harris during the five-match T20I series in Mumbai in December last year. Australia returned home with a 4-1 win and the 29-year-old played a key role in sealing the reign of the world champions as he scored 132 runs in three innings at a mind-boggling strike-rate of 203.08. Obviously, he likes batting in Indian conditions. And the franchisees will exert force to secure his services.
At the international level, he has so far scored 299 runs in 17 innings at a strike rate of 172.83 and has also taken 7 wickets with off-spin bowling.
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