The Women's Premier League player auction list has been released now, with a total of 409 players set to go under the hammer in Mumbai on 13 February. This is the first auction of its kind in women's cricket, which will make it a spectacle to watch. The five franchises are allowed to pick up a combined total of 90 players from the auction pool, which consists of many experienced veterans and talented young guns.
Here, we shall take a look at 10 such young players who could start a bidding war in the auction.
Hayley Matthews (West Indies)
Matthews is one of the most talented young players in women's cricket at present. The 24-year-old is an explosive top-order batter and also bowls quality off-spin. She has played 75 ODIs and 78 T20Is already, scoring more than 3000 runs in the two formats combined. Matthews even has four international centuries, one of which has come in the shortest format.
With the ball, she has claimed 74 T20I wickets at an excellent average of 17.83. Her all-round skills will be in high demand during the auction and it won't be surprising if all the five franchises go after her.
Jemimah Rodrigues (India)
Rodrigues is only 22 years old now, but she has already established herself as one of the first names in the senior India women's team. She has already played 75 T20I matches for India, scoring over 1500 runs at an average of just a shade under 30. Rodrigues bats mainly in the top four and has the ability to accelerate at her own will.
Apart from representing India, she has also played in other T20 leagues like the Women's Big Bash League and the Women's Hundred, and she has a terrific batting record there. In the inaugural edition of the Hundred, Rodrigues smashed 249 runs at an excellent average of 41.50 and an outstanding strike-rate of 150.91.
Shafali Verma (India)
The 19-year-old is one of the most feared batters in women's T20Is at present. Verma has already represented India in 51 T20Is, amassing over 1200 runs at an excellent strike-rate of 134.53. She is a dangerous batter at the top of the order and can take the game away in the blink of an eye.
Verma also led India to the title in the recently concluded U19 Women's T20 World Cup. She finished as the third highest run-scorer in the competition, with 172 runs coming off her bat at a mind-boggling strike-rate of 193.25.
Amelia Kerr (New Zealand)
She is another all-rounder whose skills will be highly sought after in the auction. Kerr is just 22 years old, but she has already represented New Zealand in 59 ODIs and 55 T20Is. She is an all-rounder who bowls wrist-spin and bats in the middle-order. Such a combination of skillset is very rare in cricket and that's why she is expected to go for a huge amount come February 13th.
Kerr has picked up 52 wickets in T20Is so far, at a mean economy rate of 5.87. She has also scored over 500 runs in the format, but it's in ODIs where she has flourished as a batter so far. The youngster has six fifties and two centuries to her name in ODIs, which includes a double ton as well.
Shorna Akter (Bangladesh)
The 16-year-old caught everyone's attention during the U19 Women's T20 World Cup. Akter represented Bangladesh and impressed everyone with her big hitting prowess. She finished the tournament as Bangladesh's highest run-scorer, with 153 runs to her name at an impressive average of 51. Not only that, she also recorded an outstanding strike-rate of 157.73. Only Shafali Verma recorded a better strike-rate (193.25) during the tournament.
Akter also bowls handy wrist-spin. She claimed one wicket in the five matches she played and recorded a mean economy rate of 5.00 as well. She is very young, but her talent is evident. So, the franchises shouldn't shy away from going hard after her in the auction.
Pooja Vastrakar (India)
The 23-year-old India all-rounder is a highly talented player who bowls right-arm pace and has explosive batting abilities down the order. Vastrakar has represented India in 43 T20Is and 26 ODIs so far, picking up 28 and 20 wickets in the two formats respectively.
With the bat, she has amassed 257 runs in T20Is and that too at an excellent strike-rate of 125.36. Vastrakar's all-round potential makes her an excellent asset for any team, and all the five franchises are expected to engage in a bidding war for her.
Richa Ghosh (India)
She is another 19-year-old India player who has taken women's cricket by storm. Ghosh is a wicket-keeper who has explosive batting abilities as well. Such qualities have made her a mainstay in India's limited-overs side.
Ghosh has played 30 T20Is for India so far, amassing over 400 runs at an excellent strike-rate of 134.27. Her ability to keep wickets also adds value to her stock as a player, which means none of the franchises would be willing to let go of an asset like her.
Shweta Sehrawat (India)
The 18-year-old impressed everyone with her consistency and batting range during the U19 Women's T20 World Cup. Sehrawat finished as the highest run-scorer in the competition, amassing 297 runs at a terrific average of 99.
She even recorded an impressive strike of 139.43 and also smashed three fifties, including a best of an unbeaten 92. The WPL franchises have an opportunity to invest in a future star here and big bids look set for her considering the way she has performed.
Grace Scrivens (England)
The 19-year-old all-rounder finished as England's highest run-getter and the second highest scorer in the U19 Women's T20 World Cup. Scrivens amassed 293 runs at an impressive average of 41.85 and also smashed three fifties.
She bats left-handed and has the power and range to succeed in this format. Scrivens also bowls effective off-spin and is quite the wicket-taker. She finished as England's second highest wicket-taker in the tournament, claiming mine wickets at a mean average of 7.11.
Parshavi Chopra (India)
The 16-year-old wrist-spinner from Uttar Pradesh finished as India's highest wicket-taker in the U19 Women's T20 World Cup. Chopra claimed 11 wickets during the tournament, at an excellent average of 7.00.
Batters found it incredibly difficult to score runs against her, as her mean economy rate of 3.66 suggests. Her best bowling effort in the competition came in the Super Six encounter against Sri Lanka Women, as she registered figures of 4-1-5-4 to restrict the Lankans to 59/9. Chopra was also adjudged the Player of the Match for her superb bowling effort.
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