The Women’s Premier League 2024 has come to an end with Royal Challengers Bangalore deservingly taking home the prized trophy. It was a hard-fought victory as the Bangalore-based franchise kept their nerves right till the end to chase down the mediocre total set by Delhi Capitals in the final.
All five teams gave it their everything during the second edition of the tournament. The teams had some key players who were always delivering the goods for the side but never really got appreciated for their consistency. Let’s take a look at some of the players who turned out to be the unsung heroes for their team in this edition of the tournament.
Here are the unsung heroes of WPL 2024:
5. Royal Challengers Bangalore: Asha Sobhana Joy
The bowler was picked by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 10 Lakh in the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League. Asha Shobana could only manage five games in the opening edition and claimed as many wickets at a high economy of 8.35. She showed that she had the skills that were needed to perform at the highest level possible.
Royal Challengers Bangalore showed their faith in the leg-spinner by retaining her for the second season of the Women’s Premier League. She was able to repay the faith by claiming 12 wickets and was also one of the first players to take a fifer in this edition of the WPL. Her performances during the crucial junctures of the game helped her franchise a lot in clinching close encounters.
4. Delhi Capitals: Jess Jonassen
The all-rounder is a stunning asset for every team she plays in. She is known for contributing well in all departments of the game. The Australian was picked by the Delhi Capitals at a bargain cost of just INR 50 Lakh. She was able to pick 9 wickets after 11 matches and had notched up 79 runs as well.
In the second edition of the WPL 2024, Jess Jonassen played seven matches and was able to contribute with 11 wickets. She also scored 66 runs across seven innings this time around, with her best coming against Royal Challengers Bangalore in one of the games. She was a handy all-rounder for the Delhi Capitals this season and also one of the reasons why her side reached the finals of the tournament.
3. Mumbai Indians: Yastika Bhatia
The Indian wicket-keeper batter had a mediocre opening season of the Women’s Premier League 2024. She was not as clinical and blissful as what she was known for. The wicketkeeper was not able to notch up a single fifty in the tournament and did not have a meaningful contribution at all.
Coming into the second season, the glorious strokes from Yastika’s bat were back. Everyone was left in awe of her as she was the main figure in the Mumbai Indians’ batting. With the declining form of Hayley Matthews and Natalie Sciver-Brunt, she took the onus of the batting as she held the innings from the start and along with her skipper was one the key figures in the team. Yastika managed to score 214 runs at a strike rate of 120 and was one of the much-improved players this season.
2. UP Warriorz: Kiran Navgire
The attacking batter was one of the brightest players ahead of the Women’s Premier League 2023 auction. She is known for her power-hitting and destroying bowling attacks without much difficulty. UP Warriorz purchased the batter in the maiden auction for the base price of INR 30 Lakh which is still considered to be a bargain price for such a player.
During the opening season, she was not at her best as she could only muster 155 runs across nine matches at a slow strike rate of 110. But after a string of poor performances, Navgire performed extraordinarily and in kind of a new avatar as she was batting with a strike rate of more than 150. Her attacking cameos proved to be extremely fruitful for the side in this season of the Women’s Premier League.
1. Gujarat Giants: Tanuja Kanwer
The India all-rounder has been with the franchise since the first edition of the Women’s Premier League. She left her mark in the maiden season by claiming five wickets and showed everyone the potential she possesses. The bowling all-rounder was the highest uncapped player in the maiden WPL 2024 Auction and was retained for the second season as well.
Tanuja Kanwer was able to continue her performance for the team as she was able to claim 10 wickets across 8 matches this season. She was one of the key players for the franchise this season as she continued to mesmerize everyone with her performances. One of the key improvements for her from last season was her economy which is now just over 7. In the 2023 season, she bowled at a mediocre economy of 8.85.
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