The Women’s T20 Challenge is in full swing. Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, and Deepti Sharma have been named leaders of the Supernovas, Trailblazers, and Velocity, respectively, for the forthcoming Women’s T20 Challenge, according to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami, two of India’s most experienced cricketers, have been dropped from the selections for next week’s Women’s T20 Challenge. Deepti Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Smriti Mandhana will head the teams, however, the Indian legends who have already retired from the shortest version of the game did compete in the previous event back in 2019.
The MCA stadium in Pune will host the Women’s T20 Challenge from May 23 to May 28.
Despite having already retired from T20Is, Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami were included in the 2020 edition of the competition but were dropped from the teams revealed on Monday.
Shikha Pandey, who represented Velocity in the tournament, was left out of India’s home match against South Africa in March 2021, and thus missed the 50-over World Cup in New Zealand earlier this year.
Batter with a lot of power Veda Krishnamurthy is another player who has been left out of the squads, with the teams opting for a different approach that includes Kiran Navgire, who made headlines with an undefeated 162* for Nagaland in the domestic T20 league.
Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Deepti Sharma were chosen captains of the three sides for the Women’s T20 Challenge, which will begin on May 23 in Pune.
Each of the three teams — Harmanpreet’s Supernovas, Mandhana’s Trailblazers, and Deepti’s Velocity — will have 16 players.
The previous event, held in 2020, was won by the Trailblazers.
The exhibition tournament will include a total of 12 international players, including renowned South African opener Laura Wolvaardt and world number one bowler Sophie Ecclestone. Natthakan Chantam, a Thai player, will be competing for the second time.
Leg spinner Alana King is the sole Australian in the lineup, while English players include Ecclestone, Sophia Dunkley, and Kate Cross.
Salma Khatun and Sharmin Akhter, both Bangladeshi cricketers, have also been selected. Deandra Dottin and Hayley Matthews are among the West Indians.
Sune Luus and Wolvaardt, both from South Africa, will represent Supernovas and Velocity, respectively.
The winners of the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, which took place recently, have also been recognized. Velocity will field the tournament’s highest run scorer K P Navgire and leading wicket taker Aarti Kedar.
The current season is believed to be the final one since the BCCI plans to launch a full-fledged Women’s IPL next year.
Star Sports Networks will broadcast the Women’s T20 Challenge live, while Disney + HotStar will stream it live.
