Uncapped Indians who could be capped soon

The inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) is almost coming to an end. Delhi Capitals have made it to the final on the back of great performances. UP Warriorz and Mumbai Indians, will fight it out in the Eliminator, to book a berth in the final.

From an Indian perspective, it can be said that it wasn’t the kind of WPL that people expected. It was entertaining, no doubt but only a handful of Indian players were able to make a mark in this edition, especially in the unknown domestic talent department. Even some of the Indian mainstream players struggled to get going in this edition.

There were a few new players who showed they are ready for the international level. Here is a list of few - 

Saika Ishaque – Mumbai Indians

Role: Left-arm spin

Innings – 8, Wickets – 13, Economy – 6.8, Average – 14.8, Strike rate – 13

Saika Ishaque has definitely been the find of the tournament. With 13 wickets to her name, Saika is the joint second-highest wicket-taker in this WPL. 

In the first match itself, she impressed one and all with a four-wicket haul against Gujarat Giants. In fact, in her first four matches, she had 12 wickets at an average of 6.9 and an economy of 5.9. To go with it, she picked up a wicket every 7.1 balls. Despite being impact-less in her last four matches, Saika has certainly been one of the best Indian players. Among the top five wicket-takers, she is the only Indian.

With Rajeshwari Gayakwad fading away from the Indian team, Saika is ready for an Indian call-up. 

Shreyanka Patil – Royal Challengers Bangalore

Role: All-rounder

Innings – 6, Runs – 62, Strike rate – 151.2, Wickets – 6, Economy – 9.8, Bowl strike rate – 19.5

“I think some of the young girls have really impressed me, Shreyanka has absolutely been a gun. She has been really calm and cool,” said Heather Knight after RCB’s last match of the tournament.

If these words have come from one of England Women team's most decorated captains, then Shreyanka Patil really is a player to watch out for in the near future.

She didn’t play all the matches for Bangalore, but in the limited opportunities, Shreyanka has been exceptional - both with bat and ball. In six innings, she scored 62 runs at a strike rate of 151.2. Among Indian batters with 50+ runs in WPL, only Shafali Verma (182.6) and Dayalan Hemalatha (157.3) had better strike rates.

With the ball in hand, she was a bit costly, but she bagged six crucial wickets, the most for a Bangalore bowler. A season in which none of their bowlers (5+ overs) had an economy of less than eight, one can’t complain about her economy, especially when she is your highest wicket-taker.

Asha Sobhana – Royal Challengers Bangalore

Role: Leg-spin

Innings – 5, Wickets – 5, Economy – 8.3, Average – 28.4, Strike Rate – 20.4

Asha Sobhana didn’t have a great start. In her first match against Delhi Capitals, she gave away 29 runs in two overs, which saw her being dropped for the next three matches. But, the leg spinner made a comeback against the same team, picking up two wickets in her four-over spell. 

Asha had conceded only 27 runs in her spell. She followed it up with a similar spell against UP Warriorz (2/27). With five wickets in five matches, Asha was just behind Shreyanka in the wicket-takers list for Bangalore. Among Bangalore bowlers with five-plus overs, she was the most economical (8.3) this season. 

Tanuja Kanwar – Gujarat Giants

Role: Left-arm spin

Innings – 8, Wickets – 5, Economy – 8.9, Average – 47.8, Strike rate – 32.4

Tanuja Kanwer’s numbers might not be that great, but she was one of the uncapped players who performed well. In six out of the eight matches, the left-arm spinner had an economy of eight or less.

Her overall economy was undone due to two matches. One against Bangalore and the other against Delhi. To be precise, in both these matches, none of their bowlers were spared. Delhi chased 106 in just 7.1 overs, and against Bangalore, none of them could stop the onslaught of Sophie Devine. Apart from that, Kanwer conceded at an economy of 7.4.

Parshavi Chopra – UP Warriorz

Role: Leg-spin

Innings – 3, Wickets – 2, Economy – 7.3, Average – 36.5, Strike rate - 30

Parshavi was the second-highest wicket taker in the Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup. Yet, she had to wait five matches to get a chance in the WPL.

In her first match, the nerves of a 16-year-old were visible. She came back really good in the next two games. In the game against Gujarat, she picked up two wickets in her four-over spell, conceding 29 runs. Interestingly, both her wickets came in the last five overs. She bowled two overs, conceding 13 runs.

Next game, she bowled only two overs against Delhi, and conceded only nine runs, an economy of 4.5. In this match, none of their other bowlers had an economy of less than 6.25. 

Parshavi has an amazing googly. In fact, both her dismissals in this WPL, came through a googly. It is just not about wickets. She has bowled 26.7 percent of googlies (16 out of 60), with an economy of 4.5. In comparison, when she bowls her stock ball (63.3%), she concedes at 8.5.

To have Sophie Ecclestone go gaga over a 16-year-old, the story is right there.