Harmanpreet Kaur, India’s women’s cricket team captain, has gone unsold in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) Draft. Considered to be one of the most dangerous T20 batters not too long ago, the 35-year-old’s reputation has taken quite a hit in the last couple of years. She has done fairly well in the two editions of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), but overall, Harmanpreet isn’t what it used to be, or rather, the format isn’t what it used to be.
Five Indian women’s cricketers were picked up in the 10 WBBL Draft. Smriti Mandhana was already signed before the draft by the Adelaide Strikers; other big names like Deepti Sharma (Melbourne Stars) and Jemimah Rodrigues (Brisbane Heat) got picked as well. However, the fact that Shikha Pandey (Brisbane Heat), Dayalan Hemalatha (Perth Scorchers), and Yastika Bhatia (Melbourne Stars) found homes in WBBL while Harmanpreet couldn’t is truly shocking.
Harmanpreet Kaur’s diminishing returns
The Indian captain has been on a downward slide for the last couple of years. She wasn’t picked by the Women’s Hundred Draft either and has been this year as well. Her average is 33, and her strike rate is 117.3 in 2024. This isn’t an aberration either. Since 2019, only once has she had a strike rate of over 120 in a year. This wasn’t a problem until a few years, but T20 cricket has changed.
Mandhana, Hemalatha, Yastika, Jemimah, Richa Ghosh and Shefali Verma all have struck faster than her in 2024. Considered to be the game changer, Harmanpreet has started to lag behind. Her name’s big enough to keep thriving in India, but foreign franchise leagues aren’t ready to bet her anymore.
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Harmanpreet Kaur’s T20I record since 2022
| Inn | Runs | Avg | SR | 50s & 100s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 1119 | 32.91 | 117.17 | 6 & 0 |
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