With the next T20 World Cup slated for September-October later this year in Bangladesh, Harmanpreet said: “WPL is the kind of platform where domestic players will get opportunities,” at the pre-season press conference in Mumbai. “If they do well here then it means they’re kind of ready for international cricket. It makes things easier for the BCCI [selectors] because you’ve proven yourself at a good level and under pressure. If we get to see good talent and performances here, then it’ll be really good for us [Indian team] to look at such players and give them opportunities while thinking of the team for the T20 World Cup.
“I think players getting such opportunities will want to grab them with both hands because if you can perform here then everyone is looking at you and your performance won’t be wasted, and you’ll get chances going ahead.”
“Last year we saw Saika do well and other players too who were picked later in the team,” Harmanpreet said. “Later on they got opportunities in the Indian team. So it’s a good platform for players because if you do well here, you can get picked [for the Indian team].”
As has been in the IPL, the Mumbai Indians women’s team could also create a legacy for unearthing unknown talent from domestic cricket and fast-forwarding their path to international cricket. The Mumbai set-up is known for its scouting system and their team management is banking on some more domestic spinners this time.
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Amandeep was the third-highest wicket-taker in the Under-23 T20 series that finished late last year with a tally of 15 wickets from seven games and has taken 17 from 10 games in the ongoing Under-23 One-Day Trophy, in which Haryana will play the final against Uttar Pradesh on Saturday.
“She has been so exciting, when we saw her in the trial,” Goswami said of Amandeep. “We don’t have many left-arm wristspinners in the country. Charlotte and me really enjoyed watching her in the trials and we signed her. She can be a big star, it’s not easy to bowl left-arm wristspin, it’s unique in women’s cricket. In the future, Harman will be happy to have her in the Indian team.”
As per the women’s FTP, India are scheduled to play only two more international series before the T20 World Cup – the Asia Cup in August-September and a home T20I series against South Africa in September. The younger players will want to use the WPL as a platform to impress the selectors to earn an India call-up.