Women's IPL: 5 Players who can be picked as captains

The popularity of women’s cricket in India has witnessed a meteoric rise in the last few years. The Indian women’s team has played some sensational cricket in multi-nation tournaments of late. Be it qualifying for the semi-finals of the 2018 T20 World Cup, finals of the T20 World Cup 2020, or creating history by securing a silver medal in the recently held 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, they have been making the country proud on a consistent basis. Amid the glorious performances of the Indian team, fans have been dying in anticipation for the Women’s IPL (WIPL) and the wait seems to be over as the inaugural edition of the event is all set to become a reality next year. It has been reported that the marquee event will be a five-team tournament and is expected to commence in March 2023. It will be interesting to see who will lead the teams in WIPL 2023. Let us look at the players who can possibly be picked as captains: 5. Deepti Sharma Deepti Sharma has been one of the top all-rounders in the Indian circuit. Talking about the shortest format, the 25-year-old has played 77 matches and scored 737 runs at a strike rate of 99.19. On the bowling front, she has bagged 81 wickets at an economy rate of 5.88. The veteran cricketer has also displayed her all round prowess in various T20 leagues around the world. She led her team Velocity to the final of the Women's T20 Challenge 2022 but unfortunately ended up on the losing side as Harmanpreet Kaur's Supernovas won the event. The ace all-rounder has a wealth of experience in the T20 circuit and has been part of the leadership group in the Indian team. The experience of leading Velocity in the Women’s T20 challenge 2022 will certainly come in handy for the all-rounder. Therefore, she is a great option to marshall the troops in the Women’s IPL. 4. Smriti Mandhana Smriti Mandhana is arguably the best opening batter in the women’s cricketing circle at the moment. When it comes to tearing bowling attacks apart with glorious strokeplay, the 26-year-old is second to none. She has featured in 102 T20Is and amassed 2437 runs at a strike rate of 123.01. Smriti is an experienced customer when it comes to captaincy. The Maharashtra-born is the designated vice-captain of the Indian team and has also donned the captaincy hat in T20Is in absence of the regular skipper. Moreover, the veteran cricketer has been leading Trailblazers in the Women’s T20 challenge since its inaugural edition in 2018 and has done a decent job. Thus, it is likely Smriti will be entrusted to lead a franchise in the marquee tournament. 3. Harmanpreet Kaur Harmanpreet Kaur is among the most destructive batters in the white-ball formats. The Punjab-born has been a game-changer with the bat and is also more than handy with the ball. In 137 T20Is, she has aggregated 2694 runs and also bagged 32 wickets at an economy of 6.27. Harmanpreet is the incumbent skipper of the Indian team across formats and has proven her leadership skills time and time again. The 33-year-old led the Indian team to the final of the T20 World Cup 2020 and it was under his captaincy that the Women in Blue became the silver medalist at the Commonwealth Games 2022. The veteran player has also been the most successful captain in the Women’s T20 Challenge having led the Supernovas to three championships in four seasons. Thus, the selection of Harmanpreet as a skipper of a WIPL franchise is a no-brainer. 2. Sophie Devine Sophie Devine has been a torch-bearer for New Zealand cricket. Talking about T20Is, she has been a prolific run-getter and notched up 2839 runs in 112 games at a strike rate of 121.48. When it comes to bowling, she has been a strike force picking up an insane tally of 109 wickets at an economy of 6.33. Devine’s leadership skills are highly rated in the white-ball circuit. She has been an inspirational captain for the White Ferns and led her team to a Bronze-medal at the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. In total, she has led the national team in 33 T20Is and 28 ODIs. Apart from leading White Ferns, Devine has led Perth Scorchers in the WBBL and the Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred women’s competition. The White Fern all-rounder is a proven leader in the T20 circuit and IPL franchises will look at her as a potential leader ahead of WIPL's inaugural edition. 1. Ellyse Perry Ellyse Perry has been one of the leading all-rounders in women’s cricket across formats. In the international T20 landscape, the 31-year-old has accumulated 1253 runs at a strike rate of 105.47 in 126 games and also bagged a staggering 115 wickets. Having associated with T20I cricket since 2008, Perry is a highly experienced campaigner and knows the intricacies of the game. Thus, teams can look at the legendary cricketer as their commander-in-chief in the Women’s Indian Premier League. Moreover, Perry is not new to leading a side in the T20 format. She has been leading the WBBL franchise Sydney Sixers since the inception of the tournament and has led the team to two titles. Therefore, the Sydney-born can make a suitable captaincy candidate in the WIPL.

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Women's IPL: 5 Players who can be picked as captains

The inaugural edition of the Women's Indian Premier League is likely to commence in March 2023.

1. Ellyse Perry

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