Chronicle Editor
Brandon Moyo, Sports Reporter
ELEVEN members of the Zimbabwe senior national women’s cricket team who were part of the Women’s Indian Premier League player auction that took place in Mumbai, India on Monday went unsold.
The Zimbabwean players were part of the 409 cricketers who went under the hammer at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai in a bid to take part in the inaugural event.
The Zimbabweans were up against stiff competition as a maximum of 90 slots were available for the five teams, 30 being slotted for overseas players. Sharne Mayers, Modester Mupachikwa, Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano, skipper Mary-Anne Musonda, Precious Marange, Kelis Ndhlovu, Ashley Ndiraya, Josephine Nkomo, Loryn Phiri, Nomvelo Sibanda and Audrey Mazvishaya are the Lady Chevrons who made it into the final list for the auction.
Participating at the tournament would have been an opportunity for the players to play with and against the best female cricketers in the world. The challenge would have also brought experience and exposure to the Zimbabwean team.
Team captain, Mary-Anne Musonda believes that making the final cut for the auction was a good start and with more games and believes with more game time and statistics, they will make it.
“Making the 400 cut was a good start, I’m sure for the rest of us who made it. It’s a glimpse for the future maybe, that if we work hard enough and most importantly play a lot more games to make more stats, we can make it,” she said.
Musonda said playing in the WPL would have been a very big boost for their careers as the best players in women’s cricket are there and sharing a changing room with them would have been a game changer and the financial aspect of it would have been life changing as well.
The all-rounder said she is open to registering for the league once again as they will just have to keep playing competitive cricket and win more and encouraged other female cricketers that competitions bring the best out of them and help them grow.
“One doesn’t know when the opportunity will come so we just have to keep playing more competitive cricket, and win more against those teams. I think being scared is normal, it’s the biggest cricket league to date. However competition is what brings the best out of us. It’s the only way to grow our skill and even our character,” she said.
The inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League is set to be played in Mumbai from March 4 to 26. A total of 22 matches will be played with the Brabourne Stadium and D Y Patil Sports Stadium being the venues for the tournament. – @brandon_malvin
Sidumisile Mabena