WPL Player Deepti Sharma Promoted

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced their new list of contracted women players for the 2022-23 season, and it has come with a slight reduction in the number of players. There are now 17 women players contracted by the BCCI, two less than the previous season. Despite this, there have been no changes to the pay structure of Grade A, B, and C contracts, with Grade A players still earning ₹50 lakhs. Two notable players who secured top grades were Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, who continue to lead the way for women’s cricket in India. It’s also great to see Deepti Sharma being promoted from Grade B to Grade A, reflecting her impressive performances on the field.

The recent Indian women’s cricket team retainership announcements have brought to light some interesting changes. Rising star Shafali Verma and all-rounder Jemimah Rodrigues have managed to maintain their Grade B contracts, while left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad joins them in the same category. However, there have been some movements in the lower tiers as well. Swing bowler Renuka Singh Thakur has secured her first national retainership in Grade B. Meanwhile, Richa Ghosh has moved up a level, earning the second-best contract. It’s heartening to see new faces like Meghna Singh, Anjali Sarvani and Yastika Bhatia being included in Grade C contracts along with national comeback queens Sneh Rana, Devika Vaidya and Sabbineni Meghana. A notable demotion from Grade B to Grade C was of left-arm spinner Radha Yadav.

The Indian cricket team has yet again announced its annual contract list, and it’s no surprise that it has stirred up some heated conversations. During the 2020 T20 World Cup, leg-spinner Poonam Yadav was a sensation with her loopy leg-spinners, but unfortunately, she wasn’t given any retainer this time, making her the biggest loser. Even batter Punam Raut was removed from the contract list, after featuring in a Test match against Australia in October 2021. The omission of pacer Shikha Pandey also comes as a surprise, as she remains an effective T20 performer. However, with the retirement of big names like Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami, who have moved on to coaching and commentary, it’s clear that the Indian cricket team is looking forward to building a new, younger team.

The world of women’s cricket is changing rapidly, with a clear shift towards focusing on T20 performances. This is evident in the new contracts, which have been shaken up thanks to the Women’s Premier League (WPL), as well as three T20 world events scheduled in the next four-year ICC events cycle. The increase in attention given to the T20 format is clear. For example, star player Smriti Mandhana alone earned a WPL contract worth an impressive ₹3.4 crore, leading some to question whether the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) needs to rethink its pay scale. With players of such high caliber commanding significant fees, it’s clear that T20 cricket is here to stay.