Follow UsWomen’s Premier League (WPL) just saw its third edition getting over, and one thing can be said with certainty about it — it’s still a competition dominated by overseas players. None of the top three run scorers this season was an Indian, and in bowling, the condition was even worse as no Indian could make the top five leading wicket-takers list.
While it is definitely disappointing, it’s also a reality check and a status report — Indian women’s domestic cricket hasn’t yet reached the standards where the top echelon on talent is Indian. While the likes of Harmanpreet Kaur will always come clutch in finals like in the past, the crop beneath them needs to do a lot better.
The good news amongst all this, however, is that we still had a few domestic talents and some exiled (from the national side) Indian talents that made their mark in the competition, showing that it wasn’t all for nothing.
While the last two seasons brought us the likes of Saika Ishaque, Shreyanka Patil, and Asha Sobhana, the third season has also brought in new names and some old ones who seem to have found their mojo. Let’s have a look at them.
Kashvee Gautam
If there’s one domestic that shining brighter than before once the WPL is done, it’s Kashvee Gautam. This pace-bowling all-rounder from Chandigarh might not have a lot of runs to show this time, but her pace-bowling was right up there with the best in the league.
She picked up 12 wickets in nine games at an average of just 18.1, struck every 16.9 deliveries on average, and had an economy of only 6.45! Only one pacer in the competition had more wickets than her - Nat Sciver-Brunt, and she played a game more than Kashvee. She also had the best economy for any bowler who got more than 10 wickets in the season.
While the numbers tell their own story, how she attained those dismissals will make her a regular in the Indian team soon. She got the ball to swing in miles, bowled at a very decent pace, and broke through the defences of the likes of Meg Lanning as if she were having a glass of milk.
Don’t be surprised if she’s a regular in the Indian side soon.
Amanjot Kaur
Amanjot was not only the Emerging Player of the Season for her all-round performance, but she also showed that she’s ready for the most elite levels of cricket by holding her own in a team of giants like the Mumbai Indians.
Whether it be the chase against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, where she single-handedly won the game by smacking some sumptuous sixes against spin, or it be her economical spells with the ball, Amanjot showed that she’s ready to be back in the Indian side.
With Pooja Vastrakar injured, Amanjot’s 128 runs and five wickets in the season will make sure she already has a shoe in the Indian side that will play the ODI World Cup later this year.
Bharti Fulmali
She arrived a bit late in the season, but Fulmali scored 133 runs in six innings at an average of 66.5 and a strike rate of 172.72, batting down the order for the Gujarat Giants. With a high score of 61 in the season, she showed her power-hitting prowess to everyone who missed her fireworks in the domestic circuit.
The ease with which she hit the big shots this season down the order really stood out, and it will hold her in good stead when it comes to selection in the Indian T20I side as well.
There are very few batters in the country who can smack the ball as hard and far as her, and if she maintains this good run of form whenever she shows up in competitive cricket next, the India cap might not be far away from her.
Shafali Verma
She isn’t a new name, but it’s been some time since this blockbuster batter from Haryana has shown up in Indian colours. She has been out of favour from the selectors after being inconsistent with the bat, but this season might just change her image in that regard.
Shafali was the leading run scorer for the Delhi Capitals this season, scoring 304 runs at an average of 38 and a strike rate of 152.76. She was not only the highest Indian run-scorer in the season, but she also smashed 16 sixes in the competition. Only Ash Gardner could smash more sixes than her (18) this year.
Surely, this should be enough to get her back in both the ODI and T20I sides. This season was yet another reminder that no one in India can do what Shafali does. While some problems against short ball still remain, her upsides as an entire package of a batter are far too high to miss out because of a few weak points that every batter has.
Harleen Deol
Deol has seen a resurgence with the bat recently, and even this WPL season, she scored 232 runs at an average of 38.66 and a strike rate of 120.8. She was the third highest run scorer for the Giants this season
With her scoring runs for India at the number three spot, this solid performance with the bat has further solidified her place in the Indian ODI side, if not the T20I one.
Other notable performers
Sneh Rana: Rana showed her value as an off-spinning all-rounder for RCB by being consistently amongst the wickets and scoring some quick cameos down the order. With Shreyanka Patil injured, the Indian team benefited a lot from her skills.
Kranti Goud: Don’t just go by numbers. Kranti Goud was absolute fire this season, and while she might be a bit raw at the moment, she has the makings of a really solid pacer for India. Look out for her domestic performances from hereon.
Niki Prasad: The U19 World Cup-winning skipper has ice in her veins. While she didn’t get to bat a lot, she was phenomenal in some crunch moments despite the result not going her way in the final. Moreover, her fielding was top-notch this season, where most other Indian players were poor.
Sanskriti Gupta: With an economy of just 6.58 (third best this season), with four wickets in the 8.3 overs she bowled, the off-spinner from MP is a star in the making. She bowls her off-spin at pace (even reaching 90kmph or more), and is very hard to hit. Her future is bright. This won’t be the last you saw of her.
