The Women's Premier League (WPL) kicks off for the first time ever on Saturday, March 4, with a mighty clash between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Gujarat Giants (GG) at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai. The tournament will hope to shine a light on some of the lesser-known cricketing talents in the world, as India look to improve the national team with some refreshing players and end their long-standing trophy drought.
Here, we take a look at five such players for fans and selectors to look out for in the upcoming event.
Ashwani Kumari (Gujarat Giants)
The all-rounder from Jharkhand was one of the best players for her team during the 2020-21 Senior Women's One-Day Trophy. She led the team's middle-order batter and was promoted to an opening role after Indrani Roy moved to Railways. Ashwani scored 237 runs in the Senior Women's T20 Trophy and had an impressive strike rate of 135.42, second only to Jasia Akhtar's 138.57. Picked up by the Gujarat Giants in the WPL 2023 auctions, Ashwani's talents as a finisher and a right-arm pacer will be tested.
Sneha Deepthi (Delhi Capitals)
The only active mother to be playing in India's domestic cricket circle, Sneha Deepthi can be a master of the powerplay on her day. She captained the South Zone in the Senior Women's Inter-Zonal T20s in November 2022 and scored 114 runs in five matches at a strike rate of 162.85. Deepthi is also the youngest T20I debutant for India before Shafali, and it will not be surprising to see her open the batting for the Delhi Capitals (DC).
Disha Kasat (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
Vidarbha have been brilliant in the domestic circuit, and a lot of the credit goes to Disha Kasat, among the others in the team. She scored the most runs in the Senior Women's T20 Trophy with 300 runs and a strike rate of 114.50. She was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for her base price of Rs 10 lakh.
Amanjot Kaur (Mumbai Indians)
The MI all-rounder scored at more than a run-a-ball for Punjab in the domestic season and also bagged eight wickets in the Inter-Zonals. She made her India debut against South Africa in January 2023 and won the Player of the Match award on her T20I debut for India.
Kiran Navgire (UP Warriorz)
Smashing a brilliant 162 off 76 balls for Nagaland against Arunachal Pradesh, Kiran Navgire became the first Indian to hit a 150-plus score in a T20 encounter. Her performances in the Women’s T20 Challenge earned her a maiden India call-up. She was bought up by the UP Warriorz, and Kiran hopes to help her side clinch the inaugural WPL trophy.
