List of Indian players featuring in the Women's Big Bash League

One of the premier franchise tournaments in the history of women's cricket, the Women's Big Bash League is all set to commence from 14th October with the Sydney Sixers taking on the Melbourne Stars in the inaugural match at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart.  

Over the years, the WBBL has been a catalyst behind Australia's dominance in white-ball cricket. The tournament kickstarted a revolution in women's sports, with eight franchise-based teams competing for the coveted trophy. Ever since its inception in 2015, the tournament has provided the domestic players with a chance to learn from some of the top international players whilst creating an impact. 

The resounding success of the competition and its impact on the Australian team in the past couple of seasons has been the primary reason for the fans and experts of Indian cricket voicing their opinion on the need for a Women's IPL. 

While there is no update on the Women's T20 Challenge and the number of teams in future, one of the heartening things for fans of Indian cricket is the increasing number of Indian players being offered lucrative deals for franchise tournaments. 

With the extravaganza set to enthral the fans for over a month and a half, let us take a look at eight Indian players who will ply their trade for various franchises. 

Harmanpreet Kaur - Melbourne Renegades

In 2016, Sydney Thunder acquired the services of hard-hitting batter Harmanpreet Kaur, making her the first-ever Indian player to sign up with a foreign team. After her successful stint with the Thunders, the skipper of the Indian side in the shortest format of the game will don the red jersey for the seventh edition of the WBBL. With over 2000 runs in the Women's T20 internationals, including six half-centuries, Harmanpreet will be the vital cog in the batting unit of the Renegades. The 32-year old will bring in her years of experience at the international level and will also be part of the leadership group to help them clinch their maiden WBBL title. 

Jemimah Rodrigues - Melbourne RenegadesOne of the most sought after players after her heroics in the inaugural edition of The Hundred has been the young batting sensation Jemimah Rodrigues. Plying her trade for the Northern Superchargers, she set the stage on fire with her blistering performance and amassed 249 runs in seven innings, including an unbeaten 92. After a lukewarm season in 2020, the Melbourne Renegades have added the Indian duo of Harmanpreet and Rodrigues to strengthen the batting department. The 21-year old is the youngest player to breach the 1000-run mark in T20 cricket, and the onus of the side with the bat will rely heavily on her in the competition. 

Smriti Mandhana - Sydney ThunderThe vice-captain of the Indian team in the T20 format will be featuring for the defending champions, Sydney Thunder. With a touch under 2000 runs for the national side in this format, Mandhana will be one of the players to watch out for in the league. While there is no clarity on the fitness of Racheal Haynes after she missed out on the one-off Test match and the T20I series against India due to injury, her absence will add enormous pressure on Mandhana to provide the team with a solid start at the top of the order. The southpaw is coming into this much-awaited tournament on the back of some consistent performances in the recently concluded series against Australia, including a half-century in the final match at Gold Coast. 

Deepti Sharma - Sydney Thunder

Another notable pick by the Thunder in this season has been the inclusion of Deepti Sharma. Over the past couple of seasons, the allrounder has been one of the most consistent performers for the Indian team and often helped the team crawl their way out of challenging situations. She is assigned the role of scoring quick runs down the order for the Indian team and restricting the flow of runs in the middle overs. Ever since her debut against Australia in 2016, the 24-year old has been one of the mainstays on the Indian side, scoring 498 runs down the order and scalped 58 wickets. 

Shafali Verma - Sydney Sixers 

After a disappointing season for the Sydney Sixers in 2020, the team has bolstered the batting department by acquiring the services of a young teenage batting sensation, Shafali Verma,. Ever since she made her debut for India in 2019, Shafali has been one of the most prolific performers for the Indian side in this form of the game. One of the most exciting things in this edition of the league is the formidable opening combination of the Sixers. Two of the most destructive batters in world cricket, Shafali and Alyssa Healy, will join forces to open the batting for the magenta side. The 17-year old will be keen to replicate her performances at the top of the order and propel the Sixers to their third WBBL title. 

Radha Yadav - Sydney Sixers 

Radha Yadav achieved a rare feat in the summit clash of the Women's T20 Challenge last season as she became the first player to pick up a five-wicket haul in the history of the competition. The left-arm spinner picked up five wickets of 16 runs to restrict the Trailblazers for a low score in the first innings. With 52 wickets in 40 innings for the Indian team, the 21-year old will be one of the integral members of the Sixers squad in the middle overs. 

Richa Ghosh - Hobart Hurricanes 

One of the most promising young players at the international level, Richa Ghosh, will play for the Hobart Hurricanes. The 18-year old was one of the finds for the Indian team in their tour Down Under and notched up consistent performances in the white-ball format of the series. After a dismal performance last season, the Hurricanes will look to bounce back and put on consistent performances in the seventh season of the WBBL. With an array of strokes all around the ground, the right-handed batter will add firepower to the side and aim to score some quick runs to give the team much-needed impetus in the final overs of the innings. 

Poonam Yadav - Brisbane Heat

Poonam Yadav was one of the standout performers for the Indian team in the ICC World T20 in Australia in 2020. Making optimum use of the variations and the sluggish nature of the wickets, Poonam has been crucial to the success of the Indian team in the recent past. The leg spinner will be plying her trade for the Brisbane Heat this season and will aim to weave her magic in the middle overs to give the Heats a chance to win a hat-trick of titles.