Women’s Premier League 2023: Do you know the captains of all the teams?
If you are an ardent cricket follower, you must know that the 2023 Women’s Premier League, better known as TATA WPL 2023 is currently going on in India. Organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (or BCCI), the debut season of the women only domestic t20 league is the female equivalent of the Indian Premier League (IPL) that was conceived in 2008. Scheduled from 4th March to 26th March, TATA WPL 2023 has five teams: Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and UP Warriorz. Players from India as well as other international women’s cricket teams are participating in the tournament. Okay, but do you know who the captains are? Well, it is time for us to introduce them to you.
Harmanpreet Kaur
Captain of the Mumbai Indians team, Harmanpreet Kaur is a household name in India as she has been the captain of the India Women’s National Cricket Team in all formats. This all-rounder is known to become the first woman in India to score a century in a Women’s t20 International in November 2018. Later, in October 2019, she also became the first Indian cricketer ever (male and female included) to play in 100 International t20 matches. Recipient of the 2017 Arjuna Award, she is also the record holder for having the highest ever individual score in Women’s World Cup. It is 171 not out. Amazing feat, isn’t it? Not many know, she was also the first Indian ever to be signed by an overseas club in t20 format. It was for Sydney Thunder for the Women’s Big Bash League back in 2016-17.
Smriti Mandhana
India Women’s National Cricket Team’s favourite opener in all formats has been chosen as the captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore team in TATA WPL 2023. Deemed as one of the best female cricketers of her generation, Smriti has received a number of accolades in her career starting with “Best Women’s International Cricketer” in June 2018 by the BCCI to the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Award by the ICC in December same year for the Best Female Cricketer of the Year. Later, in January 2022, she again received the same award, but this time it was called the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year. Interestingly, she has not missed a match since her debut in 2013 for the Women’s National side at the age of 16.
At the age of 9 years, Smriti was chosen for the U-15 squad of Maharashtra. Both her father and elder brother have played domestic cricket for her hometown Sangli. What’s more interesting is that, in 2016, she was the only Indian player (male and female) who made it to the ICC ODI team of the year.
Meg Lanning
Often deemed as Australian cricket’s most successful t20 captain, Meghann Moira Lanning has been elected as the captain of the Delhi Capitals team. She also captains the Australian National Women’s team in all formats and has led the team into two Women’s Cricket World Cup wins and five ICC Women’s World Twenty20 titles. Although Australian by origin, she was born in Singapore and has sister Anna Lanning also playing for the team. This top order batter is known by the nicknames Megastar and Serious Sally. The first is of course for her amazing career, and the latter owes to her very serious on-field behaviour. She also holds the record for the most number of ODI centuries in women’s cricket.
Beth Mooney
Another star of Australian Women’s Cricket team, Mooney has been chosen as the captain of the Gujarat Giants side. A wicket-keeper-batter, Mooney was hailed as the World’ Number 1 Batter after ICC Women’s t20 World Cup 2020. She stayed the longest in that role for nearly a year. Often deemed as “flying under the radar”, Mooney is known to keep a low profile but deliver whenever her team(s) needs her the most.
Alyssa Healy
Captain of the UP Warriorz, Healy too plays for the Australian Women’s National Cricket Team in the role of a wicketkeeper-batter. She is the wife of the legendary Australian bowler Mitchell Starc. Nicknamed as Midge, Healy is known to lure bowlers to bowl her bouncers and then miraculously shoot them off to the boundary. Till date, she has the greatest number of dismissals to her name as a wicket-keeper in t20 international cricket. Surprisingly, the number is more than M.S. Dhoni’s 91 dismissals. Recipient of the ICC T20I Player of the Year in December 2018, Healy also has the record of the highest individual score in a women’s t20 match which is 148 not out.