The Women’s Premier League (WPL 2023) auction recently made huge headlines. The first-ever WPL auction was a big hit among fans and players, all of whom are now eagerly waiting for the WPL 2023 tournament, which will kick off on 4th March.
A total of 87 players – 57 Indians and 30 overseas – were sold in the WPL auction 2023.
In a world dominated by men, and a sport that had been largely about males, the female counterparts have shot up the ranks in the past years with the advent of T20 leagues and their success in grabbing eyeballs.
In this article, we look at the 5 hottest cricketers who will be in action in the WPL 2023:
Smriti Mandhana (RCB)
Oh Mandhana! The national cricketing crush of India, Smriti Mandhana stoke hearts of the Indian fans with her smile and the waving of her hair after raising her bat for a century during the 2017 ODI World Cup in England.
Since then, Mandhana’s followers list has gained a massive boost. She is now a prominent name in world cricket, and Team India’s vice-captain.
Smriti Mandhana has 7.2 million followers on Instagram, which is more than many men’s cricketers.
Mandhana became both the first player to be sold at the WPL auction and the most expensive player in the WPL auction, bought by RCB for 3.4 crore.
Ellyse Perry (RCB)
Quite easily, the most famous non-Indian female cricketer in India, legendary Australia all-rounder Ellyse Perry boasts of a 1 million-strong Instagram following.
Apart from her cricketing achievements, Ellyse Perry is a fashion icon back in Australia and is hailed as the hottest women’s cricketer with fans swooning over her every now and then.
Perry was bought by RCB for 1.7 crore.
Harmanpreet Kaur (MI)
As feisty on the field, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur has a great style sense as she is often seen endorsing brands that appeal to the youth of the nation.
The Punjab-born Harmanpreet Kaur poses bold faces and is amongst the hottest of Indian cricketers with her unfettered reactions and lanky length.
Kaur, who was bought for 1.8 crore by Mumbai Indians, has an Insragram followers list excedding 1.7 million.
Harleen Deol (GG)
The baby face Harleen Deol saw a rapid rise in her Instagram followers when she started playing for India and became a regular feature on the television screens. With her cute smile, Harleen has won hearts of millions of Indian fans.
The 24-year-old Harleen is a middle-order batter and a spin bowler who was picked up by Gujarat Giants in the IPL auction.
Meg Lanning (DC)
Australia captain Meg Lanning is amongst the most successful women’s international captains of all-time, having led Australia to multiple ICC World Cup trophies across both formats.
Meg Lanning will play for Delhi Capitals in the WPL 2023.
With her smile that doesn’t extend a lot, Meg Lanning dons a beautiful face that has gotten many fans showering affection to her.
Plus, the Australian skipper is known to be a funny character in the dressing room, and her witty quotes often leave fans and commentators in splits, making her even more attractive. The job of captaining the Australian team and batting with expertise has made Lanning a household name in her country.
Full squads of WPL 2023:
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Erin Burns, Disha Kasat, Indrani Roy, Shreyanka Patil, Kanika Ahuja, Asha Shobana, Heather Knight, Dane van Niekerk, Preeti Bose, Poonam Khemnar, Komal Zanzad, Megan Schutt, Sahana Pawar
Mumbai Indians: Harmanpreet Kaur, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amelia Kerr, Pooja Vastrakar, Yastika Bhatia, Heather Graham, Issy Wong, Amanjot Kaur, Dhara Gujjar, Shaika Ishaque, Hayley Matthews, Chloe Tryon, Humaira Kazi, Priyanka Bala, Sonam Yadav, Jintimani Kalita, Neelam Bisht
Gujarat Giants: Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Sophia Dunkley, Annabel Sutherland, Harleen Deol, Deandra Dottin, Sneh Rana, S Meghana, Georgia Wareham, Mansi Joshi, D Hemalatha, Tanuja Kanwar, Monica Patel, Sushma Verma, Hurley Gala, Ashwani Kumari, Parunika Sisodia, Shabnam MD
UP Warriorz: Sophie Ecclestone, Deepti Sharma, Tahlia McGrath, Shabnim Ismail, Alyssa Healy, Anjali Sarvani, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Parshavi Chopra, Shweta Sehrawat, S Yashasri, Kiran Navgire, Grace Harris, Devika Vaidya, Lauren Bell, Laxmi Yadav, Simran Shaikh
Delhi Capitals: Jemimah Rodrigues, Meg Lanning, Shafali Verma, Radha Yadav, Shikha Pandey, Marizanne Kapp, Titas Sadhu, Alice Capsey, Tara Norris, Laura Harris, Jasia Akther, Minnu Mani, Taniya Bhatia, Jess Jonassen, Sneha Deepthi, Poonam Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Aparna Mondal
