-Mohsin Kamal
This season, as many as 21 players from Jammu and Kashmir made it to the final player list for the Indian Premier League (IPL) auctions and some of them got picked. This means that five players from the region will play in IPL 2023 — Umran Malik, Abdul Samad, Vivrant Sharma, Avinash Singh and Yuhdvir Singh.
It suggests that there is no dearth of talent in J&K. But is the talent limited to men’s cricket? No. There is plenty of talent in women’s cricket as well. Although J&K’s women’s team hasn’t done well enough in the BCCI’s domestic tournaments, there are a few players who have the ability to make it big.
In this piece, we will take you through the J&K players who you should keep a close look at in the Women’s Indian Premier League (WIPL) auction coming up soon.
1: Jasia Akhtar: Right-handed explosive batter
If you ask the name of one J&K woman cricketer who can attract huge bids at the WIPL auction, it has to be Jasia. Born and bought up in south Kashmir’s Shopian district, Jasia fell in love with willow and leather at an early age but it wasn’t easy to take up the sport in J&K, where infrastructure is still not up to the mark.
She, however, was ready to face any adversity. Seeing that things aren’t going well in J&K, Jasia shifted to Punjab and played for the state in domestic cricket. She earned a name for herself and became a strong performer. Consistent performance took her close to the India camp quite a few times. But she is yet to get lucky.
Jasia currently plays for Rajasthan and was the second highest run-getter in the senior women’s T20 trophy this season, pilling up 273 runs in 7 matches with a highest score of 125 not out. She is a powerful hitter and can be a good pick for any WIPL franchise. In case you did not know, she is the highest run-getter in the ongoing senior women’s one-day tournament as well.
2: Rubia Syed: All-rounder (right-handed hard-hitting batter, right-arm pacer)
Rubia has been around for a long time, doing it all alone for J&K in both the departments. She hits the ball hard and long and can bowl some handy seam stuff as well. She has been J&K’s go-to batter in almost every domestic competition but hasn’t got an opportunity to make it bigger yet.
She is also the only batter who has scored a hundred for J&K in List-A cricket. With hard-hitting all-rounders being a rarity in the women’s circuit, Rubia could well be on the radar of the WIPL franchises. She has had a decent season with the bat, averaging 55 in the women’s T20 trophy.
3: Sarla Devi: All-rounder (left-arm pacer, right-handed batter)
Sarla is one of those rare all-rounders who can open the batting as well as bowling. She bowls left-arm pace, which is also not very common. The Jammu-born gets enough movement off the surface and is a lethal bowler, especially with the new ball.
Her batting is as good. She is classy and also capable of going berserk when the situation demands. She brings various skills to the table and having her in the mix will give variety to any WIPL team. She was injured and couldn’t participate in the senior women’s T20 trophy this season, but is back for the senior one-dayers. She has already taken 10 wickets in 4 matches.
4: Bawandeep Kaur: Right-handed opening batter
From the under-19 lot, Bawandeep is a bright prospect. The right-handed batter has done well in her short career so far. She made it to the U-19 Challenger’s Trophy after finishing as the 11th-highest run-getter in India last season.
She’s a stylish opener who can accelerate as per the demand of the situation. Many WIPL franchises would be looking to acquire young domestic talents to groom them for the years to come and here is one who could be one of them.
Pictures from Mohsin Kamal