The wait is finally over as the first Women’s Premier League season is scheduled for March 2023 and the auction round is just around the corner. This is predicted to mark a major shift in women’s cricket worldwide. Some of the best female cricketers from around the world will be in action. The inaugural edition of WPL will be played in Mumbai from March 4 to 26 at two venues in Mumbai and the player auction for it will take place on February 13. A total of 409 players will go under the hammer during the auction of the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), which takes place on Monday.
Of the 409 players, 246 are Indian and 163 are foreign players, of which 8 are players from associated countries. The total number of capped players is 202, uncapped players are 199 and 8 are from associated countries. A maximum of 90 slots are available for the five teams, of which 30 are available for foreign players.
As the auction countdown begins, we take a look at the top 5 stars who could start a bidding war in the Women’s Premier League auction.
1) Smriti Mandhana
One of the best female cricketers who can bring life to any stadium is Smriti Madhana. She is a sight to behold, and her explosive batting has class written on it. Mandhana never tries to skip the ball; instead, she just stretches her body forward and caresses the ball while holding her shot.
The southpaw makes strong, beautiful strokes while staying brave. Mandhana is one of the best hitters in the world due to her skill at playing both pace bowlers and spinners. Mandhana has played in 100 T20Is and collected 2,474 runs. She has also amassed an outstanding 784 runs in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL).
In addition, teams will consider her as the future captain for their group (she is India’s vice-captain in all formats). She will therefore be highly sought after in the next Women’s Premier League auction for both her decisiveness and her leadership skills.
2) Alyssa Healey
Alyssa Healy would fall into the same category as players like Adam Gilchrist who can mercilessly destroy their opponents. Not in the way of the blows, but in her desire, she jumps on the ball like Ricky Ponting would.
Healey really cracks her urges, and while it’s one thing to force-fuel huge air strikes, she also manages to pack more power into her regular ground shots than others.
She has the distinction of being widely recognized as one of the best female cricketers to ever grace this sport thanks to her brilliance in all areas across three formats. Teams in the Women’s Premier League will no doubt want to add Alyssa Healy to their line-ups as a menacing hitter.
3) Deepti Sharma
She has the distinction of being widely recognized as one of the best female cricketers to ever grace this sport thanks to her brilliance in all areas across three formats. Deepti has currently claimed second position in the all-rounder category of the ICC WT20I player ranking with 406 rating points under her helm. Deepti is first and foremost an off-break bowler, and her arm and carrom balls are challenging for the opponent to read.
In 84 matches for India, she has taken 92 wickets with an economy of 6.14. In the past year, she emerged as a revelation, batting at number six and taking on the role of her team’s finisher. Teams in the Women’s Premier League will compete for the services of the excellent all-round player.
4) Sophia Ecclestone
One of the best T20 chances in women’s cricket right now is left arm spin bowling all-rounder Sophie Ecclestone from England. She will challenge almost any batter with her pinpoint lengths and impeccable lines, and her potential is showcased by an economy of less than 6.
She has scalped 86 wickets in 65 appearances for England with a stunning bowling SR of 16.48. This shows that she consistently gives her team the necessary breakthrough.
The prolific all-rounder is sure to catch the eye of the Women’s Premier League teams, and the 23-year-old will prove himself to be a wise long-term investment for the teams.
5) Harmanpreet Kaur
Harmanpreet Kaur is arguably the most dangerous batsman in women’s cricket thanks to her natural bat movement and power. Opponents can’t anticipate chaos until she’s at her best. When the current India skipper is set she will scoop, swing it to the leg and slog, sweep the pacers and nothing will stop her.
Who can forget the iconic unbeaten 171 she scored against the dominant Australians at the 2017 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, plundering the Australian bowlers to every corner of the ground. Even though it was just an ODI game, her violent attack was obvious to everyone.
The Team India captain’s strong breaks and excellent fielding skills make her a versatile asset on the field. She will be on every team’s priority list, so the Women’s Premier League teams will no doubt have to battle it out in the bidding war at the auction table.
The five franchises were acquired by the owners of the three IPL teams – Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals – along with Adani Group and Capri Global for a total of INR 4669.99 crore (approximately USD 572.78 million).
(This story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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