Deandra Dottin Shines with 54 Not Out for Thunder Cricket

Barbadian all rounder Deandra Dottin headlines a star studded list of players who will be under the hammer in the second Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction in Mumbai on December 9.

Dottin will be joined by South African pacer Shabnim Ismail and Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu in the pool of 165 players which also includes homegrown talent like Meghna Singh, Veda Krishnamurthy and Sabbhineni Meghana. The auction list involves 104 Indians and 61 overseas cricketers, including 15 from associate nations.

The five franchise teams have a combined 30 spots to fill, including nine for overseas players.

Only two players (Dottin and Australian pacer Kim Garth) have put themselves in the highest price bracket, with their base price being Indian Rupee (INR) 50 lakh which equates to approximately US $60,000 each. Athapaththu has listed her base price at INR 30 lakh despite her incredible run of form recently which saw her finish the 2023 Women’s Big Bash League as the second highest run scorer.

Dottin was signed last season by Gujarat Giants for INR 60 lakh but was withdrawn from the squad just days before the inaugural tournament got underway. The franchise said Dottin was “recovering from a medical situation”, which is a claim that the Barbadian publicly disputed. Garth replaced the 32 year old but has joined a number of her teammates in being released by the Giants ahead of this season’s retention deadline.

The former West Indies international last played T20 cricket when she captained Trinbago Knight Riders in the 2023 edition of the Women’s Caribbean Premier League in September. Dottin finished as the franchise’s top scorer with 107 runs in 3 innings but the team did not qualify for the final.

She will be joined by fellow Barbadians Shamilia Connell and Aaliyah Alleyne and Jamaica’s Chinelle Henry in the auction. They are all listed at INR 30 lakh as their base price.

The first season of the WPL consisted of 22 matches across three venues in Mumbai from March 4 to March 26. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is currently in the process of finalising the dates for the second season but it is expected to be held in February. It is also likely that the tournament will be played in multiple cities with Mumbai and Bengaluru expected to feature. (JC)