Kolkata: India’s World Cup star Veda Krishnamurthy has been signed by the Hobart Hurricanes for the upcoming edition of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) scheduled to begin from December 9. She thus becomes the third Indian to feature in the tournament after all-rounder Harmanpreet Kaur and opening batswoman Smriti Mandhana.
Krishnamurthy would accompany West Indies’ Hayley Mathews and England’s Lauren Winfield as the overseas players to play for the Hurricanes in the upcoming edition. However, the Indian batswoman wouldn’t be able to stay throughout the season and would be available till January 15 owing to national duties.
Harmanpreet on the other hand would continue her stint with Sydney Thunder but Smriti Mandhana, who had played for Brisbane Heat last season might not feature in this edition as the club is yet to take a decision whether to renew her contract or not. Reports from ESPN Cricinfo also suggests that all-rounder Dipti Sharma too is in the reckoning for a WBBL contract and is involved in talks with a lot of clubs.
Veda has said that she would be available for the Hurricanes for ten matches and would miss the last stages of the tournament as she would join the Indian team to gear up for the tour of South Africa, which is scheduled to begin from mid-February. The WBBL final would be played on February 4.
In an interaction with ESPN Cricinfo, Veda said, “The offer came about a month ago. I was pleasantly surprised because I wasn’t expecting it.”
“Because our South Africa tour dates weren’t announced then. We were expecting it [the tour] to be in January, so there was some confusion if I’d be able to take up the offer,” she added.
She also said that she is excited to play the WBBL this season.
“”I spoke to Harman and Smriti about what to expect. It’s exciting to play in a brand new country, interact with new cultures. I think this is a direct result of ICC promoting the game well. With the World Cup being so well received, new avenues have opened up for cricketers from around the world. This deal is a direct recognition of India’s performance at the World Cup. To play in that environment with some of the world’s best will surely add a new dimension to my game,” she said.
One of India’s World Cup stars, Veda Krishnamurthy played a crucial knock of 70 runs from just 45 balls against New Zealand which helped India make it to the semi-final of the tournament.