look news india
Excitement is at its peak in the cricket circles regarding the auction of the upcoming season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL). Franchises are ready to spend money like water on veterans and emerging talents around the world. This time’s auction list is witnessing such an amazing coordination of ages, which has completely attracted the attention of fans and analysts. On one hand, while Sri Lanka’s legendary all-rounder Chamari Atapattu is ready to establish her dominance as the oldest player, on the other hand, India’s young sensation Devika has emerged as the youngest player in the auction.
34-year-old Chamari Atapattu, who has carried the flag for Sri Lanka in international women’s cricket, is the most experienced face in the auction pool. In his long and illustrious career, he has proven his explosive batting and clever bowling on every ground in the world. Atapattu’s performance on the international stage as well as in franchise leagues has been excellent in recent years.
Whenever Atapattu’s bat swings, the bowling attacks of the opposition teams are devastated. His aggressive style and captaincy experience can prove to be a big asset for any WPL franchise. This is the reason why many major teams in this auction are desperate to enter the bidding war to include him in their fleet.
The most interesting and surprising aspect of the auction list is that the youngest player included in the auction was born much after Chamari Atapattu’s international debut. Chamari Atapattu took her first step in international cricket in the year 2009. On the other hand, the young Indian cricketer who made it to the auction list at the age of just 15 was born years after her debut.
This figure is enough to show how fast the change of generations is taking place in women’s cricket. While on one hand there are veteran players like Atapattu who have accumulated years of experience, on the other hand there is this 15-year-old young talent who is ready to follow in her footsteps and write a new definition of modern cricket.
Since the advent of the Women’s Premier League in India, the landscape of women’s cricket at the domestic and regional level has completely changed. Be it the emerging sports cities like Meerut and Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh or the remote rural areas of the country, young daughters from everywhere are now exploring their future in professional cricket.
WPL has given a new impetus to the academies working at the grassroots level. This is the reason why players are able to be a part of international level auctions only at the age of 15 to 17 years. Scouts are now keeping a close eye not only on established players but also on new talents who have performed well in the U-15 and U-19 domestic tournaments.
A major strategic challenge for the franchises in this auction is how to strike a balance between experienced veterans and young talent. In the T-20 format, while a mature experienced player like Chamari Atapattu can easily handle pressure situations, a young player like Devika can add new energy, modern shots and excellent fielding to the team.
Every team at the auction table will be eyeing to build a balanced squad that can not only win in the upcoming season but can also lay a strong foundation for the future. This is why having 34-year-old experienced Atapattu and 15-year-old budding player in the same auction pool increases the thrill of WPL manifold.