WBBL Draft 2024: India captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Shreyanka Patil go unsold

Harmanpreet Kaur. (Source – BCCI)

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur went unsold in the 2024 Women’s Big Bash League draft. The 35-year-old has played five seasons in the competition – three for Melbourne Strikers and two for their city rivals Renegades. She played 62 matches in the tournament, scoring 1440 runs at a strike rate of 117.16.

Harmanpreet led Mumbai Indians to victory in the 2023 edition of the Women’s Premier League and to the final in the last edition. She is a vital cog in the Indian set-up and will be leading the team in the upcoming T20 World Cup as well. However, no franchise showed trust in her despite scoring 3426 runs in T20 internationals.

Like Harmanpreet, Shreyanka Patil also went unsold. The 22-year-old has been tremendous for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the WPL and also for India. She has 19 wickets to her name in 15 matches in the cash-rich tournament and also picked up 15 wickets in T20Is. She also played for Guyana Amazon Warriors in the 2023 edition of the Women’s Caribbean Premier League.

Shreyanka however is not at her full fitness at the moment. She sustained the injury on the fourth finger of her left hand during the Asia Cup match against Pakistan which ruled her out of the competition. The Bengaluru-born is named in India’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, which is slated for October 3 but is subject to her fitness. Keeping her fitness status in mind, the teams may have refrained from picking her.

Also Read – WBBL 2024 Draft: Jemimah Rodrigues joins Brisbane Heat, Melbourne Stars rope in Deepti Sharma

Among other notable names, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Sneh Rana, Meghana Sabbineni, and Veda Krishnamurthy among others went unsold. Meanwhile, Jemimah Rodrigues and Shikha Pandey were roped in by Brisbane Heat, while Melbourne Stars signed the Indian duo of Deepti Sharma and Yastika Bhatia.

Star India batter Smriti Mandhana has already joined Adelaide Strikers and she will be joined by Laura Wolvaardt and Orla Prendergast. Meanwhile, Perth Scorchers have roped in Indian international Dayalan Hemalatha.

Here’s how Twitter reacted:

Harmanpreet Kaur not getting a team is not surprising to be honest. Playing a dated game these days. Starts slowly and rarely get going.

— Rajdeep Sharma (ৰাজদীপ শৰ্মা) (@Sharma_Rjdp) September 1, 2024

Several Indian players finding a gig, but not the national skipper in Harmanpreet Kaur is interesting.

I didn’t expect her to get retained by Melbourne Renegades anyway & she hasn’t been helped with her slow starts.

— Jeet Vachharajani (Women’s Cricket) (@Jeetv27WC) September 1, 2024

Pretty telling that 6 Indian players have been signed in WBBL 10 but Harmanpreet Kaur is not one of them

Could be because of the price

She is a former MVP though in the tournament#WBBL10Draft #WBBL

— Mohit Shah (@mohit_shah17) September 1, 2024

Harmanpreet Kaur getting rejected!

— Glenn Hodges (@glenn_hodges) September 1, 2024

Wow so WBBL picked Hemlatha but not Harmanpreet kaur. that is enough to say about her current situation

— Paresh Patil (@parepatil) September 1, 2024