By Here are the top 5 players of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) you need to know.
1.Smriti Mandhana
Full name: Smriti Shrinivas Mandhana
Born: 18th July 1996 (age 26)
Batting: Left-handed
Bowling: Right-arm off break
Role: Opening batter
WPL team: Royal Challengers Bangalore
Smriti Mandhana has won many accolades under her name. She is widely considered one of the Indian female cricketers of all time. The left-handed batter was the sole Indian player to be pointed out in the International and Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s Team of the Year in 2016.
In the 2018 WT20I matches, Mandhana became the 3rd cricketer for India to achieve one thousand chases. The vice-captain was signed by the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2023 Women’s Premier League (WPL) player auction at INR 3.40 crore, the highest expense for a player in the Women’s Premier League auction. Mandhana was also declared the captain for RCB.
2.Tahlia McGrath
Full name: Tahlia May McGrath
Born: 10th November 1995 (age 27)
Batting: Right-handed
Bowling: Right-arm medium
Role: All-rounder
WPL team: UP Warriorz
The Australian all-rounder power-hitter at #3 can speed up from any position in the game. She is currently ranked at the top as a batter in International Cricket Council (ICC) women’s T20I listings.
McGrath was signed by the UP Warriorz for a sum of INR 1.40 crore during the 2023 WPL player auction.
3. Shafali Verma
Full name: Shafali Verma
Born: 28th January 2004 (age 19)
Batting: Right-handed
Bowling: Right-arm off-spin
Role: Batter
WPL team: Delhi Capitals
Shafali Verma marked her debut for the T20I in 2019 and became the youngest to appear in an international game for India, achieving the milestone across formats.
The young cricketer was picked by Delhi Capitals for INR 2 crore in the WPL auction in February 2023.
She became the youngest player to achieve one thousand T20I chases. She achieved the milestone in 43 matches, the 3rd-fastest among Indians behind Mithali Raj and Jemimah Rodrigues.
4. Ellyse Perry
Full name: Ellyse Alexandra Perry
Born: 3rd November 1990 (age 32)
Batting: Right-handed
Bowling: Right-arm fast
Role: All-rounder
WPL team: Royal Challengers Bangalore
Ellyse Perry made her debut for both the national cricket squad and the national soccer squad when she was 16, this makes her the youngest Aussie to appear in international cricket and the first to have played in both International Cricket Council (ICC) and FIFA World Cups.
The all-rounder was signed by Royal Challengers Bangalore for a price of INR 1.7 crore at the 2023 Women’s Premier League (WPL).
5. Beth Mooney
Full name: Bethany Louise Mooney
Born: 14th January 1994 (age 29)
Batting: Left-handed
Role: Wicket-keeper-batter
WPL team: Gujarat Giants
Beth Mooney mainly plays as a batter in all three formats of the game. She is considered one of the best batters in the game. In March 2020, at the completion of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s T20 World Cup 2020, she was named the world’s top batter in Women’s Twenty20 International (WT20I) cricket. The Australian batter is also the recipient of both the inaugural ICC T20I Player of the Year and Emerging Player of the Year awards in December 2017.
Mooney was signed by the Gujarat Giants for a price of INR 2 crore.
