SHOPIAN — A female cricketer from Kashmir is set to earn a place in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) as she has been roped in by one of the franchises.
Jasia Akhtar, a right-handed cricketer from Braripora area of south Kashmir’s Shopian district, has been roped in by Delhi Capitals at Rs 20 lakh.
While speaking to the news agency KNO, she said that she was interested in cricket since her childhood but the journey was not easy. “In order to pursue my dream, I had to shift to Punjab for around 6-8 years and play domestic cricket where everyone was impressed with my performance,” she said.
She said that her performances have taken her very close to the Indian camp several times and WPL is the platform where she is expected to impress selectors with her performance to get the international berth.
“Last year, I switched to Rajasthan and currently I am playing for them and have performed that I will likely continue in WPL,” she said, adding, “My parents who have already supported me are behind my success and I wish everyone had parents like me.”
“I will try to perform well in the coming WPL and my aim is to play for India,” she said and added, “J&K has scanty sports infrastructure as compared to other states.”
According to her, people are not positive here but one needs to be consistent to follow one’s dreams. “My request to everyone will be to think 10 times before making any comment about anyone. Girls interested in cricket must continue their practice and they too can achieve their goals,” Jasia said.
Currently, she plays for Rajasthan and was the second-highest run-getter in the senior women’s T20 Trophy. A total of 409 players from 15 countries went under the hammer for the WPL auction.
WPL is a T20 cricket league organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). BCCI had received 1525 registrations out of which 246 native players and 163 overseas players were included in the auction list.
She alongside Sarla Devi from Jammu are two players from J&K to figure in the list of 409 cricketers who were auctioned for five franchises on Monday.
