The inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League starts on Saturday and promises to give a lot of young, aspiring women's cricketers a visible stage to showcase their skills for the world to see. Indian cricket fans and the team management would be hoping this would be lay the foundation for improving women’s cricket in the country. It would also hope that the WPL can do for the women's game what the men’s IPL has been doing since 2008, both in terms of player finances and depth of quality players. India’s recent T20 Under-19 World Cup victory in South Africa has shown that the next generation of women cricketers is coming through. The WPL provides them with a platform to showcase their skills, while also rubbing shoulders with some of the best players in the game. We have a look at some of these young Indian U-19 players, who could have an impact on their franchises: Hurley Gala Franchise: Gujarat Giants Auction Price: Rs 10 Lakhs “I love to bowl fast. I am practising hard to become the world’s fastest bowler. I want to be the first Indian to break the 130 kph mark,” Gala told The Bridge ahead of the WPL. The Gujarat Giants player was injured during the World Cup and returned halfway through the tournament. However, in the upcoming WPL, she would be looking to be a menace with the ball. Her ability to bowl quickly on Mumbai's red-soil pitches, which assist pace bowling by offering a bit of bounce, can be a handy weapon for the Gujarat Giants and add a different dimension to their bowling attack. Apart from bowling quickly, the 16-year-old can also hit the ball a long way. If needed she can come lower down the order and her ability to hit may help Gujarat give that required finishing touch and also pull off the tight games while chasing. Shweta Sehrawat Franchise: UP Warriorz Auction Price: Rs 40 Lakhs The Indian opener at the World Cup scored 297 runs at an average of 99 and at a mindboggling strike rate of 139.44. She was a joy to watch with the bat. Her ability to bat at an ideal tempo and capitalise on the first six overs of the Powerplay will be a necessity for her UP Warriorz side. The franchise, despite having some of the most well-renowned names in the world, will be dependent on Sehrawat giving them a good start. The 19-year-old’s 61 not out in the semifinal of the World Cup against New Zealand shows her ability to stay composed on the big stage. Chasing 108 runs her temperament was impeccable as she held one end up. Earlier in the tournament, she scored an unbeaten 92 of just 57 balls against a quality South African attack. The knock included 20 boundaries. She helped India chase down a mammoth 167-run target showing she has the power game too when needed. If Warriorz is looking for a calm head at the top to handle pressure she may be the ideal candidate. In addition to her elegant batting, she can chip in with her few off-breaks too. Titas Sadhu Franchise: Delhi Capitals Auction Price: Rs 25 Lakhs Titas Sadhu’s delivery to English wicket-keeper batter Seren Smale in the World Cup where the ball pitched outside the off-stump and jagged back sharply to clean the stumps was a dream dismissal for any fast bowler. The skill to move the new ball and present a good seam position at the age of 18 years makes her a unique talent. The Delhi Capitals players is someone who can take the new ball and can help the side in picking wickets early on to break the backbone of the opposition sides. In the World Cup final, Sadhu wrote her name in golden letters as the pacer returned with figures of 4-0-6-2 to be adjudged player of the match in the final of the Under-19 Women’s World Cup. In the historic victory, it was Titas' early wickets that helped India get early initiative showing another player who is not afraid of the big stage. Parshavi Chopra Franchise: UP Warriorz Auction Price: Rs 10 Lakhs Having a leg-spinner in any format is useful. A wicket-tacking leg-spinner in T20 cricket is like gold dust. One of the most valuable commodities then is Parshavi Chopra. She picked up 11 wickets from six games in the World Cup with a miserly economy rate of 7.00. The 16-year-old leg spinner was picked up by UP Warriorz. Her wicket-taking ability in the middle overs can help the Warriorz restrict the opposition for low scores. Her Player Of the Match-winning four-wicket spell against Sri Lanka and three-wicket spell against New Zealand in the World Cup had decimated the middle order of both sides. Those spells also gave a glimpse of the leg-spinner's ability when she is on song. She also bagged a couple in the final. Sonam Yadav Franchise: Mumbai Indians Auction Price: Rs 10 Lakhs Yadav’s ability to bowl tight lines and lengths and dry up the runs for the batters is more than a handy weapon to have in the T20 format. Especially in a tournament which is to be held in Mumbai on high-scoring grounds, bowling a few quiet overs through the middle becomes imperative for any side to win games. The Mumbai Indians player, despite being a part of the star-studded line-up around her, can make her mark on the side with her clever slow left-arm orthodox bowling. The 15-year-old’s ability to vary the pace and give the ball some air if needed might give skipper Harmanpreet Kaur an option to keep the run rate down when things are not going her side’s way.
