Deepti Sharma. (Photo Source: Jan Kruger-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)
At the much-awaited 2023 WPL auction, Australia’s Ashleigh Gardner and England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt jointly became the second-most expensive players after India’s Harmanpreet Kaur. That is perhaps why Gujarat Giants (GG) and Mumbai Indians (MI) wasted no time in picking up the talented all-rounders, paying INR 3.2 crore from their wallets to seal the deal.
Living up to the grand expectations, these names will look forward to making a statement with their power-packed 3D performances. They are expected to rock.
Unsurprisingly, some renowned Indian all-rounders also grabbed the attention of the buyers and got acquired at huge sums. Now, in the tournament, their franchises will expect them to be at their best with their all-around skills. The confidence of these players would be sky-high after bagging lucrative contracts. They will back themselves to fare well in the competition, for sure.
Here are 5 Indian all-rounders to watch out for during the upcoming T20 extravaganza:
5. Devika Vaidya
Devika Vaidya. (Photo Source: Twitter)
Devika Vaidya has been active in international cricket for the last nine years or so. However, she has featured in only 22 international games in an Indian jersey thus far. Vaidya has appeared in 13 T20 Internationals, and scored 89 runs in seven innings. With the ball, she has claimed six wickets in 11 innings at an economy of 8.85.
At the WPL auction, the 25-year-old went through the accelerated round for her base price of INR 40 lakh. Noting her all-around potential, UP Warriors (UPW) and Delhi Capitals (DC) got involved in a bidding contest. In the end, the former got successful in signing the all-rounder for INR 1.4 crore.
Featuring for UPW in the upcoming tournament, she would want to put her best foot forward in all three departments and help her teammates to have their hands on the trophy. As a spinner, she can trap batters with her leg-break bowling on the spinning surfaces. The youngster is also capable of contributing with the bat in the lower order.
4. Sneh Rana
Sneh Rana is serving the Indian cricket team as an all-rounder since 2014. In the last nine years, she has delivered a few brilliant bowling and fielding displays for the team. However, her best with the bat is yet to be delivered for the national team. In the domestic circuit, Rana is considered a reliable all-rounder for Punjab.
Considering her international numbers and domestic all-around experience, GG acquired her services for INR 75 lakh. The all-rounder’s name got MI and UPW interested as they also strived to pick her for the competition. In the end, GG won the bid. GG will expect her to reinforce the spin attack with her excellent off-break bowling.
As Vaidya could chip in with the bat as well, the franchise will want her to be a finisher in the lower order. In the just concluded ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 in South Africa, she was a part of the Indian team but got only one game to play against Australia in the semi-finals.
3. Shikha Pandey
Shikha Pandey. (Photo Source: Twitter)
Shikha Pandey has played a lot of cricket for India in the international circuit during her nine-year-long career. The veteran has represented the Indian team in more than 100 games. At the WPL auction, her base price was INR 40 lakh but with her magnificent all-round talent, she succeeded in pulling off a contract from DC for INR 60 lakh.
Her international experience and WT20I figures played an important role to help her win the confidence of DC and GG as well. Till now, Pandey has featured in 62 WT20Is and has amassed 208 runs at a strike rate of 79.08. Discussing her bowling performance, the 33-year-old has picked up 43 wickets at an economy of 6.49.
In the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup, she ended up as the third most successful bowler for the team, claiming three scalps in three games at an economy of 6.60. Considering her current form, her franchise will look to utilse her at the maiden edition of the much-awaited cricketing event.
2. Pooja Vastrakar
Pooja Vastrakar. (Photo Source: RODGER BOSCH/AFP via Getty Images)
Before the WPL Player Auction, Pooja Vastrakar was one of the favourites to attract decent money. For the event, her basic amount was set as INR 50 lakh but due to her exceptional all-round skills, MI and DC showed interest in her. In the end, MI fetched her for paying a hefty sum of INR 1.9 crore.
In the international circle, her records for the national team are overwhelming as an all-rounder. So far, the youngster has claimed 30 wickets in 47 T20Is at an economy of 6.14. With her bat too, she has scored 261 runs in 30 innings at a decent strike rate of 124.28.
In her maiden T20 World Cup appearance recently, Vastrakar failed to show up with both bat and ball. As a premier bowler of the team, she scalped only two wickets in four matches at an economy of 7.21. However, after receiving the enormous price at the auction, the 23-year-old will have a new motvation to perform with her all-round talent and justify the faith of the franchise.
1. Deepti Sharma
Deepti Sharma. (Photo Source: MARCO LONGARI/AFP via Getty Images)
This February, Deepti Sharma hit headlines for becoming the third-most expensive player at the WPL Player Auction. Witnessing her jaw-dropping all-round statistics for India, UP Warriors believed in her potential in the first WPL season.
The 25-year-old’s overall numbers in the T20I format are phenomenal, as she has clinched 102 wickets and amassed 941 runs in 92 matches. The veteran has also notched up two half-centuries with her bat which corroborates her potential as an all-rounder. In the recently-held Women’s T20 World Cup, she couldn’t deliver as per her reputation, managing only 27 runs as a batter and taking six wickets for the Women in Blue in five games at an economy of 7.76.
Making a note of her expensive economy rate in the T20 World Cup, the franchise might be a touch worried about her form. That said, Sharma will look to use her vast experience to back herself as a valiant all-rounder against her opponents.