Harleen Deol: From Playing Gully Cricket To Earning Spotlight At WPL 2023

Punjab-born Harleen Deol is currently making waves at the ongoing Women's Premiere League in Mumbai. Deol, who represents Gujarat Giants at the tournament, earned her spot in the team following a series of great performances playing for the Himachal Pradesh team in domestic cricket.

She moved from Punjab to Himachal early in life. Deol's father's work move was one reason for the change, and the amenities at the women's academy were another. Her quick feet make her particularly effective against spin bowlers. While Harleen is a tweaker and a wrist spinner and has the talent to be a true all-rounder. Harleen made her international debut in 2019 in both of the white-ball forms after demonstrating sufficient promise on the domestic circuit.

Harleen Deol Journey

With the Indian Women's National Cricket Team, Harleen Deol has participated in 22 WT20 Internationals and 7 One-Day Internationals. She has scored 104 runs in ODIs and 245 in T20Is. She has also had success with spin bowling.

Given that the female portion of the game in India was still in its infancy, Harleen used to play cricket in gullies with boys when she was younger. While her neighbours did raise an eyebrow, Harleen's parents, especially her mother, remained steadfast in her support. She was originally an off-spinner but switched to leg-spinning out of necessity because the Punjab sub-junior team she was picked for lacked a leggie. Harleen is a passionate Shane Warne admirer.  She made an impression on the IPL 2019 exhibition game amongst female cricket players from around the world. Off the pitch, Harleen is a cheerful individual who enjoys singing, particularly rap.

On February 22, 2019, in Wankhede in Mumbai, Harleen played in her first Women's One Day International match for India against England. She became the second female cricketer from Chandigarh to represent India after Taniya Bhatia. She did her education at Mohali's Yadavindra Public School. On March 4, 2019, she faced England in her first Women's Twenty20 International match. On May 6, 2019, Harleen made her Women's T20 Challenge debut for the Trailblazers against the Supernovas, where she and Smriti Mandhana scored a partnership of 100 runs.

In January 2020, she was chosen for India's selection in advance of the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Australia.

Deol performed an amazing catch while evading the boundary rope during the Twenty20 series against England in July 2021, and the video of the catch quickly went viral. She received praise for the grab from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sachin Tendulkar. She was chosen to represent India in the cricket tournament in the Birmingham, England, 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The Women's Premier League, according to Harleen Deol, will transform women's cricket. She asked fans to physically attend WPL games. Harleen made her statement following the Gujarat Giants' signing of a WPL contract for the inaugural T20 league season. Harleen Deol submitted a proposal to join the Women's Premier League at the base rate of Rs. 40 lakhs. The Gujarat Giants made the 24-year-old their opening offer, and no other team was prepared to match it. As a result, Harleen Deol has moved to the Giants for her base salary of Rs. 40 lakhs. As Harleen was the franchise's first Indian acquisition from the WPL auction, she was noteworthy.

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