The youngest team in the women’s IPL boasts the jerseys of former Indian skipper Mithali Raj, Veda Krishnamurthy, Shafali Verma and Shikha Pandey in its dressing room. With the experience flowing right from top of Mithali Raj’s staggering records and reaching the aggressive youth of 16-year-old Shafali Verma, Velocity stand a golden chance of clinching their maiden title this season.
Batters:
Mithali Raj(c), Veda Krishnamurthy, Shafali Verma, Manali Dakshini
With Mithali Raj and her 2,364 T20 international runs leading the team, Velocity will enter the field as the team to look out for. Raj has not played a lot of white ball cricket off-lately but as pundits say, class is permanent and the 37-year-old is a living example. Following Mithali is her vice captain, Veda Krishnamurthy- a hard-hitting middle order batsman. Her 70 runs off just 45 balls, including seven fours and two sixes during the 2017 World Cup is as fresh as yesterday for only a few cricketers can single handedly turn matches like her.
While Veda and Raj fill the top blocks of the team hierarchy, it is Shafali Verma who’ll wear the spotlight since day one. The 16-year-old ramped the first rung of the T20 rankings with some quickfire knocks and scored 165 runs in the World Cup. Manali Dakshini on the other hand is a fluent stroke player with Elysse Perry as her idol, she has made news in the domestic circuit.
All-rounders:
Dani Wyatt, Devika Vaidya, Hayley Matthews, Shikha Pandey and Sushree
A ten-year-old T20 career and Dani Wyatt has 2,297 runs against her name. Like Mithali Raj, this English cricketer brings a lot of expirience to the side. Her 94 T20 wickets come at an excellent average of 18.96. Along with Wyatt stands India’s Shikha Pandey, an all-rounder who can swing the ball early on and hit the ball into the stands when needed.
Devika Vaidya and Sushree Dibyadarshini form the Indian core of the team. While Vaidya last played international cricket in 2018, for Dibyadarshini the Women’s T20 Challenge will bring on a wave of first expiriences.
Bowlers:
Ekta Bisht, Jahanaara Alam, Komal Zanzad, Leigh Kasperek, Suné Elbie, Murali Anagha and Meghna Singh
The bowling unit of the side took a dent when Mansi Joshi had to pull back because of COVID-19 but her replacement Meghna Singh will be an asset for Velocity, given the amount of domestic experience she has in her medium pace. Ekta Bisht, Suné Elbie and Leigh Kasperek in the same team mean a spin treat for the spectators. The trio carries experience and a sense of aggression in between them, batsmen should be ready to dance. In the pace department it is Bangladesh’s Jahanaara Alam will lead with the best women’s cricket has to offer. Murali Anagha, a left-arm spinner brings some quality on the table and with Ekta Bisht in the side, the youngster has only to learn this time.
Wicketkeepers:
Sushma Verma
The Deputy superintendent of Himachal Pradesh police last played an international T20 game in 2016 but when it comes to reliability, she would be Mithali Raj’s eyes from behind the stumps. However, with Veda Krishnamurthy’s ability to keep wickets well, Verma will have to push hard for a place in the playing 11.
