The inaugural edition of the much-anticipated Indian Women’s T20 League is slated to take place from 4th March to 26th March 2023. Five franchises, including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi will take part in the tournament and vie for the maiden title in order to make their mark in the Indian Women’s T20 League. A total of 23 matches are set to be played across 17 days at two venues in Mumbai – Brabourne Stadium and DY Patil Stadium.
Uttar Pradesh managed to get their targeted players on the board for the inaugural season of the Indian Women’s T20 League. The franchise is owned by Capri Global Holding. Uttar Pradesh spent its entire purse of INR 12 crore to acquire the services of 16 players at the auction. D. Sharma was the costliest buy for Uttar Pradesh as they acquired the services for 2.8 crore. Apart from targeting experienced players, the UP-based franchise also made bids for young talents who have the potential to make big in the international arena. The Uttar Pradesh squad seemed to look balanced with a mixture of experienced and youth. However, there are certain players one has to keep on in the Indian Women’s T20 League 2023.
Here are the top 5 players to watch out for in Uttar Pradesh
A. Healy:
A. Healy will be leading Uttar Pradesh in the inaugural season of the Indian Women’s T20 League. She was bought for 70 lakhs by the franchise at the auction. Healy is considered one of the batters in Women’s T20Is and has the reputation of leading the Australia women’s team to five T20 World Cup victories. She was part of the Australia team that recently won the record-extending sixth Women’s T20 World Cup triumph in Australia. Healy is a good attacking batter and can provide a good start at the top. In T20Is, A. Healy has aggregated 2489 runs, including a century and 14 fifties, at an average of 24.40 in 141 matches.
S. Ismail
S. Ismail is regarded as one of the best fast bowlers in Women’s cricket. She was bought by Uttar Pradesh for 1 crore at the Indian Women’s T20 League auction. Ismail was part of the South Africa team that reached the Women’s T20 World Cup for the first time in the recently concluded edition of the tournament. The 34-year-old is the fourth leading wicket-taker in the Women’s T20Is with 124 wickets in 113 matches. S. Ismail can pose a threat to the opposition’s batting line-up with her pace and can provide breakthroughs in the Powerplay. She is definitely one of the players to watch out for from UP in the inaugural season of the Indian Women’s T20 League.
D. Sharma
D. Sharma has been appointed as the vice-captain of Uttar Pradesh for the inaugural season of the Indian Women’s T20 League. The franchise acquired her services for 2.6 crore at the auction. Sharma is an all-rounder and is the leading wicket-taker for India in the Women’s T20Is, scalping 102 wickets in 92 matches. Also, D. Sharma is the first Indian bowler to scalp 100 wickets in the T20Is. She could be an asset for Uttar Pradesh given her all-around skills. Sharma can take wickets in the middle overs and restrict the flow of runs in the death overs. She can also provide a cameo in the middle-order of the batting line-up. D. Sharma is definitely a player to watch out for from UP in the Indian Women’s T20 League 2023.
S. Ecclestone
S. Ecclestone was considered one of the next big things in Women’s cricket. The 23-year-old was bought by the Uttar Pradesh franchise for 1.8 crore at the Indian Women’s T20 League auction. Ecclestone is one of the best English bowlers in the Women’s T20Is, scalping 97 wickets in 70 matches. She is the currently World’s No.1 bowler in the Women’s T20Is rankings. Ecclestone can be one of the wicket-taking options in the powerplay for Uttar Pradesh. Her ability to deliver economical bowling could be an added advantage for the team.
S. Sehrawat
S. Sehrawat is touted to be the next big thing in Indian women’s cricket. The 19-year-old rising star was bought by Uttar Pradesh for 40 lakhs at the Indian Women’s T20 League auction. Sehrawat was part of the India women’s team that won the inaugural edition of the U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa. Furthermore. S. Sehrawat was the highest run-getter of the tournament with 297, including 3 half-centuries, at an impressive average of 99 in seven matches. She is a good attacking batter and is likely to open alongside A. Healy for Uttar Pradesh. Given her immense talent and potential, Uttar Pradesh team management is expected to back her throughout the tournament.
