8 players who can be the captains if women's IPL gets underway

When all the attention was on the IPL playoff game between Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad on Tuesday, BCCI organized a one-off IPL-style exhibition match between Trailblazers led by Smriti Mandhana and Supernovas led by Harmanpreet Kaur.

Women's T20 league is not something new. Cricket Australia started WBBL three years back and it was a huge success. Also, England launched its Women's T20 league in 2017.

With all the success that IPL has achieved over the years, there was always a question that why BCCI did not try something similar for women's cricket. This exhibition game could lay down a marker for the women's T20 league that BCCI has been planning for quite some time.

Several renowned international women cricketers from England, Australia, and New Zealand battled it out on Tuesday in Wankhede, along with the Indian women stars.

On that note, let's take a look 8 players who can be the captains if women's IPL gets underway sometime in the near future.

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#1 Meg Lanning

The 2014 ICC Women's T20I Cricketer of the Year and the current captain of Australian women's national cricket team is one of the most gifted women cricketers of all-time. With a T20I average of 34.5 and a strike rate of 119, she is arguably the world's best batter at the moment. She also has scored the most number of hundred's in Women's One Day Internationals.

Playing for Melbourne Stars in WBBL, she was the highest run-getter in the first two editions of the tournament as a captain. She also represented Surrey Stars in the inaugural Women's Super League in England. With her experience and skills both as a player and a captain, the 26-year-old will be great choice to lead a team if women's IPL gets underway.

#2 Mithali Raj

India's all-time best batter

The most capped player in women’s ODI cricket and the current captain of Indian women's cricket team (ODI and Test) is the best women cricketer of all-time in India. She is currently the all-time leading run-getter for India in all three formats of the game.

She was handed over the captaincy just before the start of 2005 ICC Women’s World Cup in South Africa. She did a great job as a captain and took the team to the finals of the World Cup. She is one of the longest-serving captains in the history of the sport. The 35-year-old has scored almost 2000 runs in T20 cricket with 14 fifties. She will definitely be one of the captains if women's IPL gets underway.

#3 Suzie Bates

Scorchers skipper Suzie Bates (left)

Suzie Bates is one of the most successful batters from New Zealand. She was the ICC Women's ODI and T20I Cricketer of the Year for 2015. Also, the 30-year-old currently holds the highest score and highest batting average in the New Zealand Women's Twenty20 cricket team (min 50 games).

Bates has a lot of captaincy experience. She is the captain of New Zeland national team since 2011. She has also played for Perth Scorchers Women in the WBBL 2017/18 and captained the team. With almost 100 T20 games and more than 2000 runs under her belt, Bates is an excellent choice to lead a team.

#4 Ellyse Perry

Ellyse Perry is one of the best all-rounders in the world right now

One of the best all-rounders of all-time in women's cricket, Ellyse Perry is a phenomenal performer in all three formats of the game. The 27-year-old has scored 3847 runs and 244 wickets in international cricket.

Having made her debut in 2007, Ellyse Perry has played a crucial role for Australia in T20Is, winning three tournaments in a row (2010, 2012, and 2014) and selected for the Team of the Tournament in 2012 and 2014.

She has a T20I batting average of 26 and a strike rate of 104. She has also picked up 84 wickets in 90 T20I games. Perry also led Australia to ODI World Cup success in India in 2013. Also, her record in WBBL is unbelievably good.

#5 Smriti Mandhana

Mandhana played for Brisbane Heat in 2016

The 21-year-old is one of the most exciting young talents in world cricket right now. Smriti has played 36 T20I games for India and scored 767 runs. Smriti has a T20I strike rate of 116.21, showing how good she is when it comes to hitting the ball.

She was the only player from India to be named in the ICC Women's Team of the Year for 2016. She also holds the record for the fastest fifty (30 balls) in Women's Twenty20 International. Smriti Mandhana joined Brisbane Heat for the Women's Big Bash League in 2016, becoming only the second Indian player to sign for an overseas T20 franchise. She has all the potential be the captain of India in the future.

#6 Sarah Taylor

Sarah Taylor is one of the best batters from England

Sarah Taylor is one of the best wicket keeper-batter in Women’s cricket. She opens the batting for England in the limited-overs format and is a free-flowing stroke maker. The 29-year-old won the T20I Women's Cricketer of the Year in 2012 and 2013. Sarah Taylor has played 84 T20I games and scored more than 2000 runs at an average of almost 30.

With 15 fifties, she is one of the most consistent players in all three formats of the game. She also played a stellar role for England in their ICC Women’s World Cup win in 2017. Sarah has also played more than 100 ODIs for England and one of the most experienced players in Women’s cricket right now.

#7 Harmanpreet Kaur

Kaur inaction for Sydney Thunders

Since making her debut in 2009, Kaur has been an integral part of the national team. The 29-year-old has played 87 ODIs and 77 T20I for India. She was the first Indian cricketer to be signed by an overseas T20 franchise. Kaur has played 14 games in WBBL for Sydney Thunders and scored 312 runs at an average of 62.

Harmanpreet Kaur is currently the captain of the Indian women’s T20 team and was also named in the ICC Women's T20I Team of the Year for 2017. She is one of those women cricketers who can hit the ball a long way. With her exposure and experience, she is one of the best candidates to lead a team.

#8 Stafanie Taylor

Stafanie Taylor inaction for Sydney Thunders

The 26-year-old all-rounder from Jamaica is current captain of West Indies women's cricket team. Stefanie Taylor has played 84 T20I and scored 2582 runs at a stunning average of 37.42. She has scored the most number of fifties in women’s T20I cricket. Stafanie has played 43 games in WBBL and scored 829 runs.

She is world no.1 T20 batter and one of the destructive players in the shorter format of the game. Stafanie Taylor is the ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year in 2015 and was named as one of the players in the ICC Women's T20I Team of the Year in 2017. She also led West Indies to the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 title in 2016 and was named the player of the tournament.