Catch ‘em young: Meet the Indian teenagers picked at the WPL Auction

The wait for a women’s franchise cricket league in India is finally coming to an end with the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) set to be played in March 2023. Fans and experts have long been asking for this addition to the ecosystem, emphasising on the opportunities it could bring not just for the established stars of the game but also for the budding talent in the country.

While the first few editions of the tournament will feature only five teams, thereby limiting the number of players who would get the chance to play in the league, the franchises picked up some exciting young talent at the WPL players auction on 13th February. While most of these names are from India’s U19 T20 World Cup winning side, there are a couple of others that caught the scouts’ attention.

     1. Shweta Sehrawat

India’s vice-captain at the U19 T20 World Cup and also the tournament’s leading run-scorer was picked by the UP Warriorz for Rs 40 lakh. Sehrawat scored 297 runs at an astonishing average of 99.00 and was named in the ICC’s Team of the Tournament. The Delhi teenager, who impressed with her unbeaten knock of 92 against South Africa, would get to open with Alyssa Healy in the Women’s Premier League.

2. Parshavi Chopra

UP Warriorz also secured the services of the second-highest wicket-taker of the U19 T20 World Cup, Parshavi Chopra. The leg-spinner, who is just 16 years old, was picked for her home state’s team for her base price of Rs 10 lakh. Chopra picked up 11 wickets in six innings at the World Cup in South Africa with an impressive economy of 3.66. Her best figures of 4 for 5 came against Sri Lanka and she was also named in the ICC’s Team of the Tournament.

   3. Titas Sadhu

Sadhu, who was the star of India’s U19 T20 World Cup Final win, was picked by the Delhi Capitals for Rs 25 lakh. The lanky fast bowler, who is already being touted as a potential successor of Indian legend Jhulan Goswami, got guidance from the fellow Bengal pacer early in her career. Sadhu won the Player of the Match award in the World Cup Final for her spell of 2 for 6. She might have gotten into cricket by chance, but she impressed her way into the inaugural WPL with her impressive performance in South Africa.

     4. Shabnam MD

The Indian U19 T20 World Cup Team’s pacer was picked by the Gujarat Giants for Rs 10 lakhs. Shabnam, who hails from Vizag, followed in the footsteps of her father, who was a fast bowling allrounder himself. Although she appeared for India in only two matches in the World Cup, her ability to bowl yorkers and bouncers accurately got her the bid in the WPL auction. She has also played in the Vizag Premier League and idolises Shabnim Ismail and Jhulan Goswami. 

     5. Yashasri Soppadhandi

The WPL franchises were clearly keen to grab the young Indian pace talent as another U19 T20 World Cup quick found a team - UP Warriorz. Yashasri was picked by Capri Global-owned side for her base price of Rs 10 Lakh. The Hyderabad youngster played in the game against Scotland in the World Cup. Telangana Today reported that she was not expecting to be picked in the auction but was thrilled when she got the news. 

    6. Sonam Yadav

The left-arm-off spinner was picked by the Mumbai Indians for Rs 10 lakhs. At just 15 years of age, she would be the youngest player in the inaugural edition of the WPL.

Yadav hails from Firozabad and has been part of the Uttar Pradesh U19 team since 2018. She picked up 5 wickets in the U19 T20 World Cup, including the big wicket of Australia’s Ella Hayward. She looks up to India’s star left-arm offies Radha Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja. 

     7. Hurley Gala

Hurley Gala was already a sensation in the domestic circuit when she was selected in India’s team for the U19 T20 World Cup, having picked the big wickets of Deepti Sharma and Shafali Verma while playing for the Mumbai senior side. Unfortunately, she got injured before she could get a game in the tournament. That did not cost the pacer a chance to play in the inaugural WPL as she was picked by the Gujarat Giants for Rs 10 Lakhs. Interestingly, Gala was part of the team that won the Mumbai Indians Junior U16 competition.

8. Jintimani Kalita

The 19-year-old allrounder was picked by the Mumbai Indians for Rs 10 lakh. A left-handed batter and a right-arm medium-fast bowler, Kalita would be the only player representing her state Assam in the first edition of the WPL. Hailing from Mangaldoi, Kalita developed an interest in cricket at the age of 12, when she used to drop her brother to cricket training. She has played for the Assam senior team and was part of the Under-19 Women’s One Day Challenger Trophy in 2021.

 9. Parunika Sisodia 

Sisodia hails from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh and represents Delhi in domestic cricket, but she would be playing for Gujarat Giants in the WPL. She was picked by the Adani Sportsline owned team for Rs 10 lakh. The left-arm off-spinner played in the

A Quadrangular Women’s U19 series featuring Sri Lanka, West Indies along with two Indian sides took place in November. She took 5 wickets in the series representing India B. In the recently concluded Senior One Day Trophy she took 21 wickets playing for Delhi.