Similar to the Indian Premier League (IPL), the WPL 2023 season will see bowlers battle it out for the sought-after Purple Cap. Bowlers have a history of winning tournaments, particularly in Twenty20 cricket, and this marquee competition will be no exception.
The excellent bowling teams of the Mumbai Indians (MI) and Delhi Capitals (DC) have shown up on real batting surfaces thus far, contributing in large part to their explosive starts.
The season also gives young Indian bowlers with no previous experience a chance to compete for higher honors. While some have demonstrated that they live up to the hype, others intend to join the competition as soon as possible.
We’ll take a look at three Indian bowlers who could win the Purple Cap in the WPL 2023.
#1 Saika Ishaque (Mumbai Indians)
The Mumbai Indians’ clinical start in WPL 2023 came at the same time that Saika Ishaque became a star to keep an eye on. At the toss of their first match against the Gujarat Giants (GG), skipper Harmanpreet Kaur praised her, and the left-arm spinner has thus far lived up to every word.
Ishaque is the current Purple Cap holder, having taken six wickets in two matches for MI. Even though it is still early in the competition, she is far ahead of any other Indian in the tournament.
At the conclusion of the WPL 2023 season, there is every chance that the Purple Cap will remain affixed to her head if she continues to playfully chip at the wickets.
#2 Deepti Sharma (UP Warriorz)
The beginning of Deepti Sharma’s WPL 2023 season has been disappointing. The vice-captain of the UP Warriorz (UPW) has looked out of sorts with the bat, but her bowling has been better.
Deepti will try to make more wickets this season after taking two in consecutive games. The Warriorz can rest assured that if she makes it a habit, there will be a direct correlation between her wickets and their performance.
The off-spinner should quickly establish herself as a serious contender for the Purple Cap, as the pitches are expected to wear out in the second half of the tournament.
#3 Renuka Thakur (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
Renuka Thakur is still the best player in India. Today’s number one women’s fast-bowler garnered a lot of attention at the WPL 2023 auction, which was not surprising. However, the Shimla swing bowler has yet to shine for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the tournament.
This has directly correlated with RCB’s failure to score points on the board after two innings without wickets. Bangalore’s bowling unit appears to be heavily dependent on Thakur to make early gains, and they place their hopes on him in the coming days.
However, one aspect must be taken into consideration: Thakur picks up wickets in a group when she does so. She only needs one or two big games to rekindle her happy knack for taking wickets and competing for the Purple Cap.