India has named a 16-player squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against Bangladesh. Among the fresh faces are Asha Sobhana and Sajana Sajeevan, who have earned their spots based on their outstanding performances in the 2024 Women’s Premier League (WPL).

Rising stars from the Women’s Premier League

Sobhana made history in the WPL by becoming the first Indian cricketer to take a five-wicket haul, achieving figures of 5/22 against UP Warriorz. With 12 wickets in 10 matches, she ended up as the joint second-highest wicket-taker in the league, alongside Australian star Sophie Molineux.

Sajeevan made a splash in her debut game in the WPL when she hit a six off the last ball to secure victory for her Mumbai Indians team against Delhi Capitals. Batting lower down the order, Sajeevan scored 87 runs at an impressive strike rate of 158.18, which was the second-best in the tournament.

𝙐𝙉𝘽𝙀𝙇𝙄𝙀𝙑𝘼𝘽𝙇𝙀!

5 off 1 needed and S Sajana seals the game with a MAXIMUM very first ball🤯💥

A final-over thriller in the very first game of #TATAWPL Season 1 🤩🔥

Scorecard 💻📱 https://t.co/GYk8lnVpA8#TATAWPL | #MIvDC pic.twitter.com/Lb6WUzeya0

— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) February 23, 2024

Leadership and preparation for the T20 World Cup in on priority

The squad, led by captain Harmanpreet Kaur and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, will kick off the series on 28 April, with all matches scheduled to take place in Sylhet. This series holds significant importance for both teams as they gear up for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, slated to be held later this year in Bangladesh.

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India squad update: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhan, Shafali Verma, Dayalan Hemalatha, Sajana Sajeevan, Richa Ghosh (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Radha Yadav, Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Amanjot Kaur, Shreyanka Patil, Saika Ishaque, Asha Sobhana, Renuka Singh Thakur, Titas Sadhu.