Harmanpreet Kaur to play in Women’s Big Bash League
India’s Harmanpreet Kaur is set to become the first Indian to play in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) after she signed a deal with defending champions Sydney Thunder on Friday. She also becomes the first Indian women cricketer to be signed by a foreign Twenty20 franchise.
Three franchises were in the race to sign the middle-order batsman from Punjab before Sydney Thunder bagged her signature, Cricbuzz reported. This is the first formal signing after the BCCI decided to allow women cricketers to play in foreign leagues such as the WBBL and the ECB’s Super League in early June. Adelaide Strikers were reportedly keen on signing Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami for the 2015 edition of WBBL, but could not do so because of the BCCI’s restrictions, Cricbuzz wrote.
"I think we saw in the Indian team some very dynamic players, including Veda Krishnamurthy and Harmanpreet Kaur, I think these two stood out. We have a pretty solid team... but we have an opportunity to bring another overseas players in and we'll be looking to spend that spot wisely. Hopefully, we'll get one of the best players around the world," Alex Blackwell, the captain of Sydney Thunder, was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
Harmanpreet came into the limelight when she scored a quick-fire 33 against England in Mumbai in a T20I. Her consistency in the 61 T20Is and 55 ODIs has been remarkable, and particularly prominent was her 46 off 31 balls against Australia at Adelaide. This signing is likely to open the gates for other Indian women cricketers to sign up for foreign leagues and compete against the best.
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