Good news for sports enthusiasts in the State. Two players from Odisha have been named by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for squads for the ensuing Women's T20 Challenge scheduled from May 23.
According to a release issued by the BCCI, Sujata Mallik and Priyanka Priyadarshini have been selected for the Trailblazers and Supernovas teams respectively.
Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma have been named as the captains of Supernovas, Trailblazers and Velocity, respectively.
The three teams will lock horns against each other in the tournament which will be played at Pune's MCA stadium from May 23 to May 28.
"The best of Indian women's cricket will combine with some of the leading stars from South Africa, England, West Indies and Australia. A total of twelve international players will compete in this year's Women's T20 Challenge," the official release stated.
The opening match of the T20 tournament will see a fight between Trailblazers and Supernovas while the final of the tournament will be contested on May 28.
Squads:
Supernovas: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Taniya Bhatia, Alana King, Ayushi Soni, Chandu V, Deandra Dottin, Harleen Deol, Meghna Singh, Monica Patel, Muskan Malik, Pooja Vastrakar, Priya Punia, Rashi Kanojia, Sophie Ecclestone, Sune Luus, Mansi Joshi.
Trailblazers: Smriti Mandhana (c), Poonam Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Hayley Matthews, Jemimah Rodrigues, Priyanka Priyadarshini, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, S Meghana, Saiqa Ishaque, Salma Khatun, Sharmin Akhter, Sophia Dunkley Brown, Sujata Mallik, SB Pokharkar.
Velocity: Deepti Sharma (c), Sneh Rana, Shafali Verma, Ayabonga Khaka, KP Navgire, Kathryn Cross, Keerthi James, Laura Wolvaardt, Maya Sonawane, Natthakan Chantam, Radha Yadav, Aarti Kedar, Shivali Shinde, Simran Bahadur, Yastika Bhatia, Pranavi Chandra.