As many as eight Indian cricketers will play in the upcoming Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL). The seventh season of WBBL will take place between October 14 to November 27, 2021, with matches to be played in Tasmania, Adelaide and Queensland.
Opener Smriti Mandhana and all-rounder Deepti Sharma will represent Sydney Thunder in WBBL|07. Notably, Smriti previously played for Hobart Hurricanes (in WBBL|04) and Brisbane Heat (in WBBL|02), while Deepti will appear in the WBBL for the first time.
“I like that she keeps her game really simple; she just wants to score runs. While it’s disappointing not to be able to have Heather back, if you could choose any replacement for her, it would be Deepti – she’s also a star,” Thunder coach Trevor Griffin had said as quoted by cricket.com.au.
Like Smriti and Deepti, other pairs that will be part of the T20 tournament are Shafali Verma and Radha Yadav. Sydney Sixers have signed the exciting duo.
The 17-year-old Verma is currently the world’s top-ranked T20I batter and has established a reputation as one of the most fearless attacking players at the top order. Similarly, Radha strengthens the spin department. She is sitting at 11th position on the ICC T20I bowling rankings.
“Shafali is very impressive. She’s such a talent, and she’s fearless. Radha brings a skill set that we have never had at the Sixers. She has also batted in the middle of the order for India, so she is handy with the bat, too,” said Sixers coach Ben Sawyer.
The other four players that will feature in this year’s WBBL are Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur, who will ply their trades for Melbourne Renegades while Richa Ghosh and Poonam Yadav will play for Hobart Hurricanes and Brisbane Heat, respectively.
India T20I skipper Harmanpreet has returned to the Big Bash after two years, while it will be Rodrigues’ maiden appearance in the tournament.
“Jemimah is an immensely talented young player who is already making her mark on the world stage at 21. She was superb recently in The Hundred over in the UK … she’s is a dynamic player who can score quickly and to all parts of the ground. Harmanpreet’s record at the international level over the past decade speaks for itself. She’s a match-winner and can take the game away from the opposition in a heartbeat,” said Renegades coach Simon Helmot.
Here is the list of Indian players set to feature in WBBL|07:
Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma (Sydney Thunder), Shafali Verma, Radha Yadav (Sydney Sixers), Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (Melbourne Renegades), and Richa Ghosh (Hobart Hurricanes), Poonam Yadav (Brisbane Heat).
