LONDON: Five Indian women cricketers have signed on for The Hundred, including the world’s highest ranked batter, when the competition gets under way this summer.
Shafali Verma is the No. 1 ranked short-form batter and joins Birmingham Phoenix as a replacement for Sophie Devine.
Harmanpreet Kaur will star in the opening match, at the Kia Oval on July 21, as she joins Manchester Originals. Jemimah Rodrigues will feature for Northern Superchargers.
Smriti Mandhana is set to form an opening partnership with Danni Wyatt at Southern Brave, while Deepti Sharma joins England captain Heather Knight at London Spirit.
Harmanpreet Kaur said: “It’s very exciting that I’m going to get to play in the first ever game of The Hundred.
“It will be special to make history, especially with a women’s match at such a big ground. We’ve played in front of some large crowds in India and it’s always a great experience for the players.”
Beth Barrett-Wild, head of The Hundred Women’s Competition, said: “It’s so good to finally be able to confirm the involvement of some of the superstars from the India team. They’re a hugely exciting group of players and they’ll bring a lot to the competition.
“I can’t wait for July 21, I can’t wait for the whole competition, and I can’t wait for fans to see these world-class players doing what they do best.”
