Women's IPL 2020: Three players who will have a point to prove in the tournament
The third edition of the Women's T20 Challenge is all set to commence on November 4 with the Supernovas taking on Velocity in the opening game of the tournament at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The Women's IPL is known to be a catalyst for giving the young and upcoming players an ideal opportunity to showcase their talent and help them make a mark for themselves at the international circuit.
With many international stars being an integral part of the tournament, it gives the domestic players a chance to learn from the best in the business whilst creating an impact. The competition not only plays an important role in helping to find the local talent but it also enables the players on the fringes of the national circuit stake a claim for themselves.
Let us take a look at three players who will have a point to prove in the upcoming league:
#1 Anuja Patil
The all-rounder from Maharashtra has an unorthodox style of play. With an unconventional technique along with her ability to be extremely fearless in any situation she is one of the most exciting players in the domestic circuit.
The 28-year-old has been one of the mainstays of the team shouldering the bulk of the responsibility with both the bat and the ball.
While her off-spin has enabled the team to pick up wickets at regular intervals, her free-flowing strokeplay with the bat has ensured that Maharashtra stays well on course for putting up a big total or chasing down any total.
Her exploits in the domestic cricket paved her way into the national side. However, it has been difficult for Anuja Patil to replicate the same form at the international level. After making her debut against England in the shortest format of the game in 2012, Patil has struggled with consistency in the past couple of seasons.
Lack of performance coupled with the emergence of young talent meant she was dropped from the side before the Tri-Nation Series in 2020 that preceded the World T20 in Australia.
The Women's IPL 2020 will prove to be an ideal platform for Patil in her bid to crawl her way back into the national side.
#2 Veda Krishnamurthy
One of the most exciting batters in the modern game, Veda Krishnamurthy grabbed a lot of attention early on in her career with her flamboyant batting style and also her outstanding fielding skills.
After making her debut in the senior team of Karnataka at the tender age of 13, the right-handed batter slowly yet steadily managed to make a mark for herself in the side. Her consistent performances along with her fielding abilities ensured that she grabbed plenty of eyeballs in the early stage of her career.
She graduated from domestic cricket and immediately made her mark at the international level after scoring a half-century on debut against the formidable England outfit.
Despite a dream beginning, nothing seems to have gone right for her as she struggled to put on consistent performances and cement her place in the middle order for the Indian team.
#3 Pooja Vastrakar
The right-arm medium pacer burst on to the scene with her ability to bowl quick and surprise the batters with her raw pace. Unfortunately, her short cricketing career has been filled with injuries making it difficult for her to come back into the team and stake a claim for herself.
The 21-year-old suffered a horrifying injury during a domestic match against Railways in 2018. The injury resulted in her missing out on a year of professional cricket as she had to undergo knee surgery.
Post her recovery and rehabilitation, Pooja Vastrakar struggled to generate the same amount of pace and bounce which resulted in her downfall.
Just as she was getting into the groove to play a vital role in the World T20 held earlier this year in Australia, a hamstring injury in the first game of the tri-series forced her to pull out of the tournament.
Despite recovering from the injury, the management did not want to tinker with the set bowling unit which meant she has to wait a little longer to get back into the team.