Women's IPL 2020: Top 5 Overseas Players to watch out for in Women's T20 Challenge

Mumbai, Nov 2: The highly-anticipated Women's T20 Challenge 2020, which is also being termed as mini-Women's IPL, is set to witness top women cricketers join forces with their Indian counterparts in the four-match tournament that will get underway in the UAE from November 4th-9th.

All the matches will be held at Sharjah International Stadium just like the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. The spectators will not be allowed to enter the stadium due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Women's IPL 2020: Schedule, Teams, Players List, TV Timings, Live Streaming Info

Some the biggest names in women's cricket from England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Bangladesh and New Zealand will be participating in the tournament. However, Australian women cricketers and a few other renowned international women cricketer won't be able to participate in the tournament due to the ongoing Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) in Australia.

The likes of Ellyse Perry, Meg Lanning, Megan Schutt, Alyssa Healy, etc. are not part of the tournament for they are busy representing their respective WBBL franchises.

Women's IPL 2020: Top 5 Indian Players to watch out for

The tournament that will be aired live & exclusive on the Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar, will mark the beginning of the Indian women's cricket season following a Covid-19 induced break, with viewers and fans guaranteed for some electrifying action in Sharjah - host for all the matches.

Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and Mithali Raj were named the captains of Supernovas, Trailblazers and Velocity respectively.

Thailand's Natthakan Chantham, who scored her country's first Women's T20 World Cup half-century, adds another feather to her cap as she will become the first Thai cricketer to feature in the tournament.

Here are the top 5 overseas players to watch out for:

Chamari Atapattu (Supernovas)

The current captain of Sri Lanka's women's T20 international team, Chamari Atapattu is all set to grab eyeballs in the upcoming Women's T20 Challenge. With a strike rate of 135.08, Chamari became the 6th highest run-scorer in the 2020 Women's T20 World Cup and will be itching to replicate her performance for the Supernovas in their bid to defend the title. The 30-year-old batswoman, who has scored 1646 runs in 85 T20Is, has the potential to exploit the batting-friendly conditions in Sharjah. Her wealth of experience too will come handy for decision-making processes on the field of play.

Sophie Ecclestone (Trailblazers)

The stakes are high for Smriti Mandhana's Trailblazers as the world No. 1 bowler in Women's T20 cricket joins the team for their 2020 campaign. The 21-year-old England spinner dished out her career-best performance at the Women's T20 World Cup with a stingy economy rate of 3.23 at the expense of just 15.1 overs. Considering all the matches will be held in Sharjah, Sophie will play a key role for the Trailblazers to prevent the opposition from posting a high score.

Deandra Dottin (Trailblazers)

Looking at the dimensions of the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Deandra Dottin will be raring to send the cricket ball out of the park. The West Indies all-rounder, the first female cricketer to hit 100 sixes in WT20Is, enters the fray riding high on confidence, especially after moving five places to reach 15th position in the latest Women's T20I Rankings announced recently. With her brute force, Dottin could prove to be the backbone of the team's lower order.

Danielle Wyatt (Velocity)

Danielle Wyatt brings the necessary experience that Mithali Raj's Velocity needs. Throughout her career, the English all-rounder has been impressive with both bat and ball but has been facing some issues in the past few tournaments. At the Women's T20 World Cup, Wyatt notched up 42 runs in four innings, with an average of 11.75 and a strike rate of 102.17. The Women's T20 Challenge will be a chance for her to renew herself and show the might that she possesses.

Natthakan Chantham (Trailblazers)

Making her debut in the Women's T20 Challenge is the first-ever Thai cricketer - Natthakan Chantham. The cricketer has turned heads and put Thailand on the world cricket map. She became the first-ever cricketer to register a half-century in T20 World Cup for her country. Chantham has been impressive with the bat, accumulating 103 runs in just four innings with a strike rate of 83.73 and an average of 25.75. With her addition, Trailblazers have surely beefed up their batting contingent!