Uncapped Indian players to watch out in Women's T20 Challenge

Women's T20 Challenge, held for the first time in 2018, is back after a year gap (2021). The last edition of the league was played in 2020 in the UAE. This tournament is a step forward to being the counterpart of the men's IPL, which provides a great platform to the men players. With each passing year, the IPL has allowed many players to express themselves and play with the best cricketers from across the globe. This year's Women's T20 Challenge will play the role of forerunner for BCCI as they further plan to start a fully dedicated Women's IPL next year. 

13 uncapped Indian players will feature in the 16-member squads of the three teams selected by the All-India Women's Selection Committee. Indian internationals Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma, will lead Supernovas, Trailblazers and Velocity, respectively.

Let's focus on the uncapped players who might make it big and make a difference for their respective teams.

Uncapped Indian players to watch out for in this year's Women's T20 Challenge -

1. Chandu V (Supernovas):

Chandu V is a Karnataka cricketer who has been a regular part of the Karnataka domestic team since her debut in the 2014-15 season. The 27-year old is currently enjoying the form of her life and will be looking to continue her purple patch in this year's T20 ChallengeChallenge. The off-spinner picked up eight wickets in five matches in the recent Senior Women's T20 trophy and was the leading wicket-taker for Karnataka. She had an economy rate of under 6.69 runs throughout the tournament. Last December, she was the highest wicket-taker in Challenger Trophy, playing for India B. It will be exciting to see her bowl alongside the best in the world, Sophie Ecclestone, for the Supernovas.

2. Kiran Navgire (Velocity):

Kiran Navgire, a 26-year-old aggressive batter from Maharashtra, played for Nagaland in the recently concluded Senior Women's T20 trophy. Nobody is carrying the bag of expectations like her coming into this tournament. The all-rounder scored 525 runs at a strike rate of nearly 173 with a staggering average above 131. She scored a record-breaking 162 against Arunachal Pradesh, making her the first Indian score above 150 in a T20. She will be playing for Velocity alongside Shefali Verma and Laura Wolvaardt, making Velocity an absolute powerhouse in the batting department. Velocity's skipper, Deepti Sharma, also spoke about her first experience watching the Navgire bat in the nets.

"I was watching Kiran Navgire at the nets for the first time and found that she is such a power-hitter," Deepti said in the virtual press conference on Saturday (May 21st)

3. Maya Sonawane (Velocity):

Maya Sonawane is a leg spinner from Maharashtra who plays for her stateside in the domestic circuit. She has a very interesting action that helps her deceive the opposition's batters. Sonawane took 11 wickets in the recently concluded Senior Women's T20 trophy and was the second highest wicket-taker for her side and the fourth highest in the tournament overall, with an average of 14. Deepti Sharma spoke highly about her in the virtual press conference after watching her bowl in the nets this Saturday (May 21st) for the very first time. 

4. Shraddha Pokharkar (Trailblazers):

Shraddha, a left-arm seamer from Maharashtra, is one of the top players to watch out for in this year's T20 Challenge. The 25-year-old cricketer from Thorandale, a village 70 km away from Pune, started playing leather ball cricket after 20. She trained under Mohan Jadhav at Vengsarkar Academy and made her senior team debut during 2018-19. 

She will be playing under her state's captain, Smriti Mandhana, for the Trailblazers. She opens the bowling for Maharashtra and is known for her wicket-taking abilities with the new ball. She took nine wickets in 8 matches in the recently concluded Senior Women's T20 trophy. 

"My ultimate aim is to play for India and win the World Cup for the country," Shraddha Pokharkar on her future goals. 

5. Sujata Mallik (Trailblazers):

This year, Sujata Mallik from Odisha was the second highest wicket-taker in the Senior Women's T20 trophy. The veteran Odisha quick, who opens the bowling for Odisha, is going through a purple patch, as her recent domestic form suggests. However, the 28-year old got a brilliant outswinger which might make a difference on a pitch like that of Pune. She picked 11 wickets with an economy rate of under 6 in this year's domestic T20. Despite having Indian capped pacers Renuka Singh and Arundhati Reddy, Sujata deserves a go on such a big stage, being in such a red hot form.

6. Rashi Kanojia (Supernovas):

Rashi Kanojia from Agra is one of those players who has been in the scheme of things for some time now. The left arm pacer is one of the hot prospects going ahead in the future. She was the highest wicket-taker for her state, Uttar Pradesh, in the recent Senior Women's T20 Trophy. She took eight wickets in five games. As a left-arm pacer, her ability to take wickets with the new ball might set her apart.