Upcoming Icons: Young Women Cricketers to watch out for in WPL 2023

By: WE Staff

Cricket has won the hearts of millions of Indians, and this passion extends to the women's game as well. Since its inception in the 1970s, women's cricket in India has advanced significantly and produced some of the most brilliant players in the world. These athletes have excelled on the field, but they have also inspired a generation of young females to play sports and follow their passions.

From the captain Harmanpreet Kaur to Renuka Singh Thakur, these players have left their imprint on Indian women's cricket history and are ready to play in WPL 2023. Have a look at the list of young players to watch out for in WPL 2023.

Harmanpreet Kaur

Harmanpreet Kaur is an Indian cricketer. She is the captain of the Indian team when Mithali Raj isn't there. She is a fantastic all-arounder in addition. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports gave her the Arjuna Award for her remarkable accomplishment in the sport of cricket in 2017. She became the first Indian woman to accomplish this in the Women's T20I 2018, smashing an incredible century. She took Virender Sehwag as her model.

Smriti Shriniwas Mandhana

Smriti Shriniwas Mandhana, an Indian cricketer who competes for the Indian women's national team, is a very fashionable player who can hit the ball from anywhere on the field. She is a powerful opening batter who can annihilate any bowling lineup. She has made numerous fantastic and successful runs for the country. Mandhana, who was crowned the tournament's player of the tournament, was instrumental in India's success in the 2018 Women's T20 World Cup. In the Women's Big Bash League, she was also the first Indian woman to score a century.

Deepti Bhagwan Sharma

The pride of Uttar Pradesh, Deepti Bhagwan Sharma, represents India's women's national cricket team internationally. She is an all-rounder who bowls off the break with her right arm and bats left-handed. The third-highest run total in WODIs is 188 runs, which she has scored. In 2014, she began her cricketing career on the international stage.

Shafali Verma

Similar to Virender Sehwag, Shafali Verma is an aggressive opening batter who carries on Sehwag's heritage in cricket. In batting, she has a remarkable strike rate. At age 15, she made history by playing for India in the Women's Twenty20 International as the sport's youngest player. She had to pose as a male to attend the boys' academy for training because there was no girls' cricket academy in her hometown. She draws inspiration from Sachin Tendulkar to achieve success.

Shikha Subas Pandey

Cricketer Shikha Subas Pandey represents India and serves as an officer in the Indian Air Force (IAF). She is a star with many faces. She had always placed a high value on education and never allowed her attention to video games to compromise her grades. She is a true encouragement to everyone who is having difficulties pursuing their studies and dreams. She is living proof that you may achieve your goals without suffering any setbacks or diversions.

Jemimah Rodrigues

Jemimah Rodrigues is an Indian cricketer. She is a very young, gifted, and diligent cricket player. She received the Jagmohan Dalmiya Award for Best Domestic Junior Women's Cricketer from the BCCI in June 2018 in Jharkhand, which was given out by cricketer MS Dhoni.

She has several intriguing life experiences, including the fact that in addition to cricket, she excels at hockey and has competed for Maharashtra in both sports. To her, his father is a true hero. She is currently fulfilling her father's goal.

As she struck an unbeaten 202 for Mumbai against Saurashtra in 2017, the youthful, dynamic batter became just the second Indian woman to do so in ODI cricket. She was also given the Best Women Cricketer award (Junior Domestic) at the BCCI awards for the 2017–18 season.

Radha Yadav

She competes for West Zone, Mumbai, and Baroda. She has competed in 16 Women's Twenty20 games, 13 List A games, and 4 First-class games. On January 10, 2015, she played in her first big domestic cricket match against Kerala.

On February 13, 2018, she made her Women's Twenty20 International (WT20I) cricket debut for India Women against South Africa Women.

She achieved a five-wicket haul for the first time in the Women's T20 Competition on November 9, 2020, in the final game between the Trailblazers and Supernovas.

Renuka Singh Thakur

Indian cricketer Renuka Singh Thakur plays for Himachal Pradesh. With 23 dismissals, Singh had the most wickets taken in the 2019–20 Senior Women's One-Day League. Singh received her first call-up to the Indian women's cricket squad in August 2021 for their series against Australia. On October 7, 2021, she played her first Women's Twenty20 International (WT20I) match for India against Australia.

She was selected to play for India in the 2022 Women's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand in January 2022. She played for India against New Zealand on February 18, 2022, in her first Women's One Day International (WODI). 

She was selected to play for India in the cricket competition at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, in July 2022.