The Indian Under-19 girls’ cricket team were undefeated while winning the first edition of the ACC Women’s U-19 Asia Cup, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In the final, they defended a target of 118 by bowling out Bangladesh for just 76. Throughout the tournament, different players stepped up at crucial moments.
Gongadi Trisha was the star of the tournament with her consistent performances. She scored 159 runs in five innings, with an impressive average of 53.00 and a strike-rate of 120.45. Her contributions included two half-centuries. In the final, she played a crucial knock of 52 off 47 balls, earning her the Player of the Match award. The Hyderabadi cricketer also won the Player of the Tournament title, finishing as the highest run-scorer. Trisha had earlier contributed to India’s victory in the ICC Women’s U-19 T20 World Cup in 2023, scoring 116 runs in seven innings.
In a 2022 interview with Sportstar, Trisha shared that her idol is former Indian skipper Mithali Raj. According to ESPNCricinfo, Trisha was introduced to cricket by her father at the age of two. Her becoming the top scorer in the Asia Cup is a testament to her dedication in domestic and international age-group competitions.
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Aayushi Shukla and Parunika Sisodia were India’s top bowlers in the campaign, with 10 and nine wickets respectively. Both slow left-arm orthodox spinners dominated the Bangladesh batting lineup in the final, sharing five wickets between them. Parunika was included in the WPL 2025 mini-auction held in Bengaluru last week but was not picked by any team. In the 2023 season, she was part of the Gujarat Giants squad but did not play. This domestic season, she delivered standout performances, including taking four wickets for just nine runs against Rajasthan in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy. She also took two wickets in each of the four matches she played in the Senior Women’s Inter Zonal T20 Trophy for North Zone.
Some players who secured WPL contracts for the next season struggled with consistency. Mumbai Indians paid ₹1.60 crore for G Kamalini, a wicketkeeper and opening batter. Although she finished as the third-highest run-getter in the Asia Cup with 85 runs in five innings, her performances were less impactful. Skipper Niki Prasad had limited opportunities to bat or bowl but excelled as a leader. Delhi Capitals signed her for ₹10 lakh, providing her a chance to learn under former Australian legend Meg Lanning.
Joshita VJ, an all-rounder, was signed by the defending WPL champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru for ₹10 lakh. However, she only played three matches in the Asia Cup, taking two wickets and batting just once. Shabnam Shakil, retained by Gujarat Giants for the next WPL season, had impressed in the previous edition by taking four wickets in four games. In this Asia Cup, she managed only two wickets in four matches, though her economy rate was an impressive 2.84.
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