Veda Krishnamurthy to play for Hobart Hurricanes in Big Bash League
Indian women's team batsman Veda Krishnamurthy has been snapped up by Hobart Hurricanes for the third edition of the Women’s Big Bash League in Australia. The 25-year-old will become the third Indian, after Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, to be a part of women’s T20 leagues abroad.
Krishnamurthy, who turned 25 on October 16, signed a one-year deal with Hobart Hurricanes and will be available for 10 league games of the third season, starting December 9. She will return home to participate in the national camp for the South Africa tour which will begin on February 5 at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. The series will also mark India's first international assignment since finishing runners-up to England at the World Cup.
Krishnamurthy has cleared the air about the same and stated that she is only available for 10 matches and will miss the last stages of the tournament to prepare for India's tour of South Africa.
"The offer came about a month ago. I was pleasantly surprised because I wasn't expecting it. Because our South Africa tour dates weren't announced then. We were expecting it [the tour] to be in January, so there was some confusion if I'd be able to take up the offer," the Karnataka batsman told ESPNcricinfo.
"Initially, they wanted my availability for the full season. But now, they are okay with me missing the last stages to accommodate the South Africa tour in February. At the moment, I'll be playing 10 games for Hobart Hurricanes.
"I spoke to Harman and Smriti about what to expect. It's exciting to play in a brand new country, interact with new cultures. I think this is a direct result of ICC promoting the game well. With the World Cup being so well received, new avenues have opened up for cricketers from around the world. This deal is a direct recognition of India's performance at the World Cup. To play in that environment with some of the world's best will surely add a new dimension to my game."
Currently, Krishnamurthy and Harmanpreet Kaur are the only two Indian players to participate in the WBBL, with the latter set to continue her stint with the Sydney Thunder. But as per a report in the ESPNcricinfo, Smriti Mandhana, who represented the Brisbane Heat last year, could miss out this season.
The big-hitting middle-order bat, Veda has scored 470 runs from 37 Twenty20 Internationals with one fifty and finished the 50-over World Cup in a good run of form, striking at better than a-run-a-ball, including a blistering 45-ball 70 against New Zealand in a virtual quarterfinal.
The Hobart team are being coached by Julia Price and finished fourth in the 2016-17 season. The team feature international players like Amy Satterthwaite (New Zealand), Heather Knight (England) and Hayley Matthews (Windies). The team hasn’t announced its full roster for this year yet.
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