Women's IPL: Uncapped players in the fray, meet some inspiring women

Cricket in India, is a religion and the Indian Premier League its most celebrated festival! In the world of cricket, where the T20 format is the most exciting yet the most challenging one, it puts even the best to test and that is why getting well versed with its conditions is so crucial. Cricket sees no gender, no discrimination, nothing but sheer hard work, grit and dedication to the sacred stretch of the 22 Yards. And history speaks out the truth that the true worshippers of this game never go empty handed!

Women’s cricket, the most amazing revolution in the game of cricket is getting the much deserved appreciation and much due as well and the BCCI adding to its legacy, is all set to organize the Women’s IPL 2019 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur! The tournament kicks off on 6^th May, 2019. Where there is cricket and where there is a tournament like the IPL, young guns are always meant to flourish and it is the ultimate platform to prove themselves against the world class players and take off their careers on a promising note! There will be three teams locking horns for the trophy namely, Velocity, Supernovas and Trailblazers led by Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana respectively.

IPL is a blend of experienced and uncapped players and this year there are four names to watch out for, four uncapped talents battling out there to make a mark! 

1. JASIA AKHTAR

Smriti Mandhana’s Trailblazers picked up this powerhouse of experience and a class player who hails from Kashmir. A destructive opening batter who has played a lot of cricket for Punjab due to the incompetence of the J&K cricket board in Kashmir. Having played under Harmanpreet Kaur’s captaincy and also having scored a crucial 50 in that match proves why she is a must! Someone who has fought with social evils, political unsoundness and lack of facilities certainly deserves this opportunity! Her performances in the T20 Queen’s XI cricket league as well as the recently concluded senior women’s challenge have been exceptional! She was among the highest run getters for Punjab in the senior women’s tournament and her contribution had been amazing in her team winning the tournament!

Her aggressive batting, situational tactics and experience makes her a great pick for the Trailblazers and a player to be well planned against for the opponents.

2. KOMAL ZANZAD

A regular and important name in the Vidharba women’s cricket team, Komal Zanzad will be donning the Velocity jersey under Captain Mithali Raj in the IPL 2019. In 2018, in the 2018-19 Senior women’s One Day tournament, she took 9 wickets for eight runs against Haryana. Further in January 2019, she was named in India Red’s squad for the senior women’s challenger trophy. Her efforts did not go in vain as she got her India call-up for the T20I series against England. Consistency is the key to success and her 3-14-7 figures proved why she was named in the squad!

T20 is a batter’s game many say, but bowlers like her prove them wrong! A very interesting and smart pick by Velocity!

3. SHAFALI VERMA

The woman from Haryana for whom her statistics do the talking! In her 5 innings for Haryana, she has scored 376 runs including 2 centuries and one half ton! Smashing the ball at a strike rate of 172.48 and an average of 94.00! Yes, you read the stats right! Also, to add to this extraordinary game of hers, she bowls too! Again, with some noticeable statistics! An economy rate of 4.42 and best figures of 3/18. Verma will be all charged up to do the needful for her team and take them through finish lines.

She will be representing Raj’s Velocity in the IPL 2019. Her all round skills make her a great choice and a player certainly to watch out for!

4. SUSHREE DIBYADARSHINI

The Odisha U23, India green U23 challenger’s trophy skipper and an all round prodigy hailing from Odisha is all braced up to play for Team Velocity in this year’s women’s IPL 2019. With the experience of captaincy and an extremely talented and skilled player herself, this off-spinner is all set to give her 200 percent for her team as quoted by her in a recent interview with Female Cricket. She concluded the challenger’s trophy with 5 wickets in 3 matches to her name and focuses on improving every day, every match!

With the amount of experience, captaincy skills and the match winning skills she is yet another player to watch out for in the IPL!