3 uncapped players who should've been picked in India Women's T20I squad for the Bangladesh series after starring in WPL 2023

How much of a role did the 2023 Women's Premier League (WPL) play in the selectors' squad decisions for India's upcoming T20I series against Bangladesh?

The likes of Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Richa Ghosh and Renuka Singh Thakur had rather underwhelming WPL 2023 campaigns, and all three don't find a place in the squad. While there are unconfirmed reports that Renuka is injured, dropping the other two doesn't make much sense.

At the same time, however, there are several players in the squad who didn't have big roles to play in WPL 2023. Some of them weren't even part of the tournament and have been selected primarily based on their domestic performances.

India’s T20I squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Deepti Sharma, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Harleen Deol, Devika Vaidya, Uma Chetry (wk), Amanjot Kaur, S. Meghana, Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Anjali Sarvani, Monica Patel, Rashi Kanojiya, Anusha Bareddy, Minnu Mani.

With selection inconsistencies galore, we take a look at three uncapped players who starred in WPL 2023 and should've been picked in India Women's T20I squad for the Bangladesh series.

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#3 Kanika Ahuja

Kanika Ahuja was one of the few bright spots in a disappointing WPL campaign for RCB

Kanika Ahuja didn't have many opportunities to make an impact in WPL 2023, but she still managed to make the world step up and take notice.

The young left-hander's power and striking ability were evident from her batting, most of all from her fiery 46 in the Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) first win of the tournament against the UP Warriorz (UPW). She also rolled her arm over and seemed to be a decent bet with the ball, picking up a couple of wickets in her only chance.

On the back of her WPL displays, Kanika earned a call-up to the India A squad for the ACC Women Emerging Teams Cup. She got to bat and bowl only once each and immediately contributed, making an unbeaten 30 and scalping two wickets against Bangladesh A.

A senior call-up, though, has eluded Kanika, who should be incorporated into the setup at a higher level as soon as possible.

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#2 Saika Ishaque

WPL 2023 - Delhi Capitals v Mumbai Indians

At one point, the Purple Cap holder in WPL 2023, Saika Ishaque, stormed onto the national stage with her down-to-earth attitude and lethal arm ball. The left-arm spinner finished the tournament with 15 scalps from 10 matches at an economy rate of 7 and was one of the principal contributors to the Mumbai Indians' (MI) title-winning run.

With Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Radha Yadav not nailing down their place in the side, Saika was considered a frontrunner to earn a national call-up on the back of her WPL 2023 displays. However, her form tapered off towards the end of the competition, and Anusha Bareddy and Rashi Kanojiya seem to have leapfrogged her in the pecking order.

Saika can feel hard done by, especially since she was a major reason behind MI lifting the inaugural IPL trophy.

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#1 Shreyanka Patil

Shreyanka Patil starred in the ACC Emerging Trophy 2023 recently

Shreyanka Patil had a strike rate of 151.22 in WPL 2023, with three not-outs to her name in six innings. She also returned six wickets while bowling at difficult stages of the innings, sending down yorkers and turning the ball quite a bit.

Like her RCB teammate Kanika, Shreyanka was called up to the India A squad, and her returns were even more impressive. The 20-year-old snared nine wickets in the two matches while conceding only 15 runs as India romped their way to the trophy in convincing fashion.

Shreyanka, who was adjudged the Player of the Series, would've had her eye on a senior call-up. It didn't happen, though. It's only a matter of time before the Women in Blue turn to the talented all-rounder, who seems built for modern-day T20 cricket.