WPL 2023: Flop Indian XI from first week of tournament

Just like the Indian Premier League (IPL), the idea behind the launch of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) too was to promote local talent and give them the exposure to learn and compete against some of the best cricketers in the world. While players like Shafali Verma, Harleen Deol and Saika Ishaque among many others, have gained massively from this league in the first week of the competition itself, there are a lot of other cricketers who have completely failed to put up a show so far. Even though there’s still a lot of cricket left in the tournament, there’s a sense of tension in the air regarding these cricketers, as few of them are regulars in the national team. So, without further ado, let’s identify these cricketers and talk about the flop Indian XI from the first week of the competition. Flop Indian XI after first week of WPL 2023 1. Smriti Mandhana (c) Smriti Mandhana. (Photo Source: JioCinema) Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Smriti Mandhana is the most expensive player of the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League. She was bought in for INR 3.4 crore but be it with batting or captaincy, she hasn’t been able to prove herself so far in the competition. With the bat, she has scored only 80 runs in four matches and has faced massive difficulties in tackling spinners. Notably, she has a lot of experience playing in the shortest format of the game but that hasn’t helped her in WPL so far. She has struggled to get going and give RCB a good start which could be one of the reasons why the franchise is yet to make a mark in the tournament. When it comes to her captaincy, RCB are yet to win a single game after four matches. The franchise is almost on the verge of elimination and that’s a massive reason to worry about. However, if they can manage to win their remaining four games, there could still be a chance. But, Smriti and company haven’t yet shown any glimpse of finding themselves among wins. 2. Shweta Sehrawat Shweta Sehrawat. (Photo Source: Twitter) Under-19 World Cup winner Shweta Sehrawat hasn’t been able to impress so far in the competition. Representing UP Warriorz, the 19-year-old has scored only six runs from three matches and if she doesn’t improve, she might very well get dropped from the playing XI. In the meantime, Shweta’s opening partner, Alyssa Healy has been sensational and thus, the Warriorz haven’t been under a lot of pressure. Notably, in the last match, Devika Vaidya was promoted to open the innings with Healy as Shweta was demoted down the order. Overall, things are not looking good for the youngster. She could have used the opportunity to break into the national team but hasn’t been able to justify her talent so far. 3. Sabbhineni Meghana Sabbhineni Meghana. (Photo Source: Twitter) 26-year-old Sabbhineni Meghana was bought for INR 30 lakhs at the auction and was given the responsibility to go up the order and give her team a good start. However, she hasn’t been able to prove herself so far in the competition as her team, Gujarat Giants have managed to win only one out of their three matches so far. Notably, Meghana has scored only 34 runs in three matches and has failed to give Gujarat a good start in any of the matches. After her opening partner and skipper Beth Mooney was ruled out of the competition, it was expected that the Andhra-born cricketer will take up more responsibility to give Gujarat a proper start, but that hasn’t been the case so far. In order to qualify for the playoffs, Gujarat need Meghana to step up her game and give them good starts at the outset for the rest of the team to pick up from there. Otherwise, we might see her getting dropped and making way for a new opening pair. 4. Richa Ghosh (wk) Richa Ghosh. (Photo Source: JioCinema) Stumper-batter Richa Ghosh was sensational in the recently concluded Women’s T20 World Cup. However, coming to the WPL, she has failed to make a mark so far in the competition. Even though she has been good behind the stumps, when it comes to her batting, the Siliguri-born cricketer has failed to deliver. In four matches so far, Richa has scored only 41 runs which is much below her capabilities. The 19-year-old was signed by the Bangalore-based franchise for INR 1.9 crore, making her one of the most expensive Indian buys in the WPL auction. However, she hasn’t been able to justify her price tag yet. Richa has four more matches to prove herself in the middle as her main responsibility going forward will be to help the franchise qualify for the playoffs. Notably, it is very important that she plays in her natural aggressive avatar as that is what suits her the best. 5. Simran Shaikh Simran Shaikh. (Photo Source: Twitter) Representing UP Warriorz, youngster Simran Shaikh hasn’t been able to justify her talent in the Women’s Premier League yet. In her defence, the franchise has slotted Simran down the order because of which, she hasn’t got a lot of opportunities to prove herself in the middle. Even then, Simran would be disappointed for not being able to capitalize whatever chances came her way, failing to make the most out of those opportunities. In three matches so far, the 21-year-old has scored only six runs and thus, going further, her place in the team does not seem guaranteed. In the match against Gujarat Giants, she was dismissed for zero while the Mumbai-born cricketer remained not out at six in the next game against Delhi Capitals. In the third match, she didn’t get an opportunity to bat and thus, she might get another chance to prove herself in the middle. However, given the position that UP currently find themselves in, the franchise might want to give a shot and try her up the order. 6. Sneh Rana Sneh Rana. (Photo Source: Twitter) In the absence of Beth Mooney, Sneh Rana was appointed as the new leader of Gujarat Giants but when it comes to her performance, the Uttarakhand-born all-rounder has been pretty pale so far in the Women’s Premier League. The 29-year-old has played a decent number of games for the national team and thus, has experience in dealing with tough situations. However, so far, she hasn’t been able to cope well as far as the WPL pressure is concerned. In three matches, Rana has scored only 12 runs which is very ordinary, especially considering that she is the leader of the pack. With the ball, Rana has picked up only two wickets, both in the very first match itself and none thereafter. She went wicketless in the last two matches and hence, it can be concluded that the all-rounder is having a very rough time in the competition. 7. Anjali Sarvani Anjali Sarvani. (Photo Source: Twitter/WPL) Hailing from Andhra Pradesh, pacer Anjali Sarvani has been very poor so far in the five-team tournament. She has managed to pick up only one wicket in three matches which hints at her inefficiency with the ball so far in the tournament. Even though she is not a part of the playing XI in the Indian team, the 25-year-old is an important member of the T20I side. Thus, she has the perfect opportunity to prove herself in the middle and get back into India’s scheme of things. In order to be able to do so, she needs to perform extremely well in the next five games and help her team UP Warriorz qualify for the playoffs. However, it is going to be difficult for the pacer as nothing has gone according to the plan for her. She needs to work on her line and length and come up with a special element as so far in the tournament, she has been a pretty easy target for the batters. 8. Tanuja Kanwar Tanuja Kanwar. (Photo Source: Twitter) Playing for Gujarat Giants, 25-year-old Tanuja Kanwar has picked up only one wicket so far in the Women’s Premier League. The spinner is having a hard time proving herself in the tournament and might eventually get dropped from the playing XI if she doesn’t improve. In the very first match against Mumbai Indians, the Shimla-born cricketer picked up her first wicket in the tournament and ever since, she has been in a futile hunt for those priced scalps. Although she has been decent with her line and length, there’s still a lot of room for improvement. Notably, she is yet to make her debut for the national team and thus, this is a great platform to showcase her talent and get into the mix. However, in order to do so, Tanuja needs to step up her game in the remaining five matches. 9. Rajeshwari Gayekwad Rajeshwari Gayakwad. (Photo Source: Twitter/WPL) Rajeshwari Gayakwad was acquired for her base price of INR 40 lakh in the WPL auction by UP Warriorz. UP Warriorz went heavy in the spin department and the inclusion of Gayakwad along with Sophie Ecclestone was thought to be the game-changer. However, that hasn’t happened so far in the tournament. The 31-year-old has picked up only two wickets in the last three games and also proved to be a bit costly. Given that she has a lot of experience in the shortest format of the game, it was expected of hers to do well but unlike her partner Ecclestone, she hasn’t been able to make an impact so far for her team. Nevertheless, the Karnataka-born cricketer has enough talent to make a strong comeback in the tournament. She is known for being economical and can put a lot of pressure on the opposition - something that Ecclestone can take advantage of to pick wickets from the other end. 10. Renuka Singh Renuka Singh. (Photo Source: Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images) Ahead of the WPL auction, there was a lot of hubbub concerning Renuka Singh, as she was in incredible form at that time. Thus, RCB wasn’t shy to spend INR 1.5 crore to sign the cricketer and make her the second-most expensive Indian bowler in the tournament. However, the Shimla-born cricketer couldn’t justify her potential on the cricket field as Renuka has picked up only one wicket in four matches so far in the competition. She has been very poor with her line and length of late because of which, RCB have failed to establish their authority with the ball. Now, with four more games remaining, the team would hope that she steps up her game and help the franchise get back on track. However, it won't be easy given the lean patch she is currently going through. 11. Mansi Joshi Mansi Joshi. (Photo Source: Twitter) Hailing from Uttarakhand, Mansi Joshi has picked up only two wickets from three matches so far in the competition. She has also been expensive for Gujarat Titans and has thus seemed to lose her spot as the team's frontline bowler. Notably, Gujarat Giants secured the services of pacer Mansi Joshi for INR 30 lakh but have now delegated her responsibilities to the other bowlers of the team, given her poor form with the ball. That might be one of the reasons for Gujarat's struggle as senior players like Mansi are not being utilised up to their potential. Nevertheless, she still has five more games to prove herself and Gujarat should show more faith on the cricketer as she can be a real game-changer with the ball. For a better experience: Download the CricTracker app from the IOS App Store and Google Play Store

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WPL 2023: Flop Indian XI from first week of tournament

Despite being the most expensive player in the WPL, Smriti Mandhana has failed to live up to her reputation or price tag and thus, features in the list of Flop Indian XI, after the first week.

2. Shweta Sehrawat

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