Women's Premier League 2023: Deepti Sharma named UP Warriorz vice-captain
What's the story
UP Warriorz have named Deepti Sharma as their vice-captain for the inaugural edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL), starting March 4.
Deepti will serve as the deputy of Alyssa Healy in the tournament.
The former was bought by UP Warriorz in the player auction for a whopping Rs. 2.6 crore.
Deepti has been a mainstay all-rounder for Team India of late.
Statement
Delighted to be the vice-captain
"As someone from Uttar Pradesh, I am not only extremely happy to be part of the UP Warriorz team but also delighted to be named the vice-captain for the team," said Deepti in a statement.
"Along with captain Alyssa Healy, and the other senior players, we hope we can make the team function well and play some fantastic cricket."
Milestone
First-ever Indian with 100 T20I wickets
Earlier this month, Deepti became the first-ever Indian cricketer to complete 100 wickets in T20 Internationals.
She achieved the mark during the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Group B match against the West Indies at Newlands, Cape Town.
Deepti ran through the Caribbeans' line-up as they managed just 118/6 in 20 overs.
She surpassed Poonam Yadav to become India's leading wicket-taker in Women's T20Is.
Career
A look at her career stats
Deepti made her WT20I debut against Australia Women in 2016.
In a career spanning over six overs, she has snapped up 102 wickets from 92 matches at an incredible average of 19.46. The tally includes a solitary four-wicket haul (4/10).
With the bat, she has over 941 runs at an average of 25.43. The tally includes a couple of fifties.
Captain
Alyssa Healy to lead UP Warriorz
Earlier this week, Australian wicket-keeper batter Alyssa Healy was announced as UP Warriorz captain.
Healy was one of the six overseas picks for UP Warriorz. She was roped in by the franchise for a sum of Rs. 70 lakh.
Healy-led Australia recently beat India 4-1 in a five-match series. She has also captained Sydney Sixers in the Women's Big Bash League.
Information
A look at UP Warriorz squad
UP Warriorz squad: Alyssa Healy (Captain), Sophie Ecclestone, Deepti Sharma, Tahlia McGrath, Shabnim Ismail, Anjali Sarvani, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Parshavi Chopra, Shweta Sehrawat, S Yashasri, Kiran Navgire, Grace Harris, Devika Vaidya, Lauren Bell, Laxmi Yadav, Simran Shaikh.
WPL 2023
WPL 2023: A look at the key details
The inaugural WPL season will see a total of 20 league matches being played in a span of 23 days.
There will be two playoff matches- the Eliminator (on March 24 at DY Patil) and the final (on March 26 at the Brabourne Stadium).
Notably, the two stadiums in Mumbai will host 11 matches each.