The inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League culminated on a terrific note with Mumbai Indians winning the final by 7 wickets. By looking at the craze for the first edition, it seems like fans can’t wait to witness the second edition next year.
Just like Indian Premier League, WPL has also given several players a chance to express themselves. After a superhit 2023 WPL, it is now time to see the list of the top Indian performers. Here’s a glance at the top five Indian stars of the WPL:
#5 Shafali Verma
India’s T20 specialist Shafali Verma had a good tournament with the bat as she scored 252 runs in 9 matches with an average of around 32 which is not bad in a format like T20. The 19-year-old scored a couple of remarkable half-centuries in the tournament to justify her price.
One of her best knocks came in the first game of Delhi Capitals where she scored 84 runs against Royal Challengers Bangalore. The top Indian opener gave good starts to her side on several occasions but couldn’t help them lift the trophy. Shafali got out early in the final and the momentum quickly shifted in favour of the Mumbai Indians.
Recently, Shafali also led India to a glorious victory in the inaugural edition of the women’s U19 T20 World Cup where India defeated England in the final.
#4 Shikha Pandey
Shikha Pandey celebrates after turning back the clock with her performance
Shikha Pandey made a good comeback to the Indian side after being ignored for more than one year. She played 2023 T20 World Cup and performed on a couple of occasions. In the WPL auction, the veteran was picked up by Delhi Capitals because of her rich experience in the format.
Shikha bowled as per her franchise‘s expectations and picked up 10 wickets in the league in 9 matches. With an average of just 21, Shikha proved she still is capable of playing for a couple of more years.
With this kind of performance, Shikha would surely be a part of next season as well and hopefully, we will see a better version of the legendary bowler. It would also be interesting to see what Delhi Capitals has for her in the upcoming editions.
#3 Deepti Sharma
One of the finest all-rounders in the country, Deepti Sharma showed why she is the best in her business. The right-arm spinner picked up 9 wickets and scored 90 runs with the bat. Though she had an average performance with the willow, her bowling was still right up there.
But what made her fall into this list is her exceptional run-outs against Mumbai Indians. She was so fast and accurate that even a top-class runner would have failed to reach the crease. Fans would be hoping to witness Deepti’s fireworks with the bat in the next edition.
#2 Saika Ishaque
Saika Ishauqe was brilliant with the ball in hand picking up 15 wickets
It was Saika Ishaque’s dream come true to represent Mumbai Mumbai Indians in the Women’s Premier League. From Kolkata’s city slum to WPL star, the edition was a memorable one for Saika. She picked up 15 wickets in 10 games to make sure that her side would win the title.
Saika was bought by one of the top franchises in the world, Mumbai Indians, for only INR 10 lacs. It was never expected from a player of that price to be the best player in the league but Saika made it possible.
The 27-year old picked up 15 wickets at an average of 16 with one four-fer to her name leading the wicket-taking charts for Indian bowlers. Now, it is expected that in the editions to come, the woman from Kolkata would bag an enormous amount in the league.
#1 Harmanpreet Kaur
The champion player Harmanpreet Kaur tops the list with 281 runs in 10 matches. She scored at an average of 40 and played a crucial role in making Mumbai the champions of WPL. Even before the auction, the squad of MI was looking strong and they did all the justice in the league.
Harmanpreet scored three half-centuries in the tournament with 65 being her highest score. The superwoman from Punjab would like to keep the momentum going in the next edition as well just like Rohit Sharma does for Mumbai Indians in IPL.
