Women’s cricket has been smashing the patriarchy, one shot at a time.
With the BCCI’s move to conduct the Tata Women’s Premier League 2023, female cricketers now have another platform to showcase their talent. Slotted to go on from 04 March to 26 March 2023, the first edition of the WPL is predicted to be a huge hit among cricket fans.
So which teams are making their debut with the Tata WPL 2023, and who are the players to watch out for? Here is all you need to know.
TATA WPL teams 2023
Five teams are participating in the tournament. The Tata Women’s Premier League teams took part in the auctions to choose the squad members on the 13th and 14th of February, 2023. Let’s have a look at the teams and their squads:
1. Royal Challengers Bangalore
Captain: Smriti Mandhana (India)
Squad: Sophie Divine (NZ), Renuka Singh (India), Richa Ghosh (India), Elyse Perry (Aus), Erin Burns (Aus), Asha Sobhna (India), Disha Kasat (India), Indrani Roy (India), Kanika Ahuja (India), Preeti Bose (India), Dane van Niekerk (SA), Poonam Khemnar (India), Megan Schutt (Aus), Komal Zanzad (India), Sahana Pawar (India), Shreyanka Patil (India), Heather Knight (Eng).
2. Mumbai Indians
Captain: Harmanpreet Kaur (India)
Squad: Natalie Sciver (Eng), Pooja Vastrakar (India), Amelia Kerr (NZ), Heather Graham (Aus), Yastika Bhatia (India), Isabelle Wong (Eng), Dhara Gujjar (India), Amanjot Kaur (India), Saika Ishaque (India), Chloe Tryon (SA), Hayley Matthews (WI), Humaira Kazi (India), Sonam Yadav (India), Priyanka Bala (India), Neelam Bisht (India), Jintimani Kalita (India).
3. Delhi Capitals
Captain: To be announced
Squad: Jemimah Rodrigues (India), Shafali Verma (India), Meg Lanning (Aus), Shikha Pandey (India), Radha Yadav (India), Marizanne Kapp (SA), Alice Capsey (Eng), Titas Sadhu (India), Laura Harris (Aus), Minnu Mani (India), Jasia Akhtar (India), Tara Norris (USA), Poonam Yadav (India), Taniya Bhatia (India), Jes Jonassen (Aus), Aparna Mondal (India), Sneha Deepthi (India), Arundhati Reddy (India)
4. Gujarat Giants
Captain: Beth Mooney (Aus)
Squad: Ashleigh Gardner (Aus), Annabel Sutherland (Aus), Sophia Dunkley (Eng), Harleen Deol (India), Sneh Rana (India), Deandra Dottin (WI), Georgia Wareham (Aus), Sabbhineni Meghana (India), Dayalan Hemalatha (India), Mansi Joshi (India), Tanuja Kanwer (India), Monica Patel (India), Hurley Gala (India), Sushma Verma (India), M Ashwani Kumari (India), Shabman Shakil (India), Parunika Sisodia (India).
5. UP Warriorz
Captain: Alyssa Healy (Aus)
Squad: Deepti Sharma (India), Sophie Ecclestone (Eng), Tahlia McGrath (Aus), Anjali Sarvani (India), Shabnim Ismail (SA), Rajeshwari Gayakwad (India), Shweta Sehrawat (India), Parshavi Chopra (India), S Yashasri (India), Grace Harris (Aus), Kiran Navgire (India), Devika Vaidya (India), Lauren Bell (Eng), Simran Shaikh (India), Laxmi Yadav (India).
Players to watch out for in Tata WPL 2023
The star players of the Tata Women’s Premier League teams are ready to fight it out for the championship. Here are some cricketers to watch out for in the 2023 tournament:
#1 Harmanpreet Kaur
The Indian captain’s form and consistency make her a formidable player. With over 3000 runs and 32 wickets in her international T20 career, she is a strong all-rounder leading the Mumbai Indians.
#2 Smriti Mandhana
She is the highest-paid cricketer of the tournament at 3.4 crores. With a batting average of 27.74 and more than 2800 runs in international T20, she is ranked third in the ICC T20 Batting Ranking.
#3 Beth Mooney
The captain of the Gujarat Giants, this Australian cricketer is ranked 2nd in ICC’s T20 batting ranking. With her highest T20 score of 117* and a batting average of 40.51, she is indeed a force of nature.
#4 Ashleigh Gardner
This Australian player is number one in the ICC all-rounder ranking. With a batting average of 28 and an economy rate of 6.27, she’s one to look out for.
#5 Shafali Verma
The 19-year-old that led the U19 Indian team to victory is not one to be underestimated. With a strike rate of 132 and an economy rate of 6.16, she is a powerful player.
In Conclusion
The Tata Women’s Premier League 2023 is touted to keep the excitement of IPL alive and burning with the debuting women’s IPL teams. Catch the action live in Mumbai, the Sports18 channel or the Jio Cinema app.
