Srinagar: Jasia Akhter, Kashmir’s finest female cricketer, was bought by Delhi Capitals on Monday in the first Women’s Premier League players auction after her record-breaking year with the bat.
In the auction there were only two cricketers from J&K. While Jasia was bought by Delhi Capitals for Rs 20 lakh, Sarla Devi went unsold.
Jasia has been playing cricket outside J&K from last many years and is currently captain of the Rajasthan team.
The historic, Women’s Premier League auction was held on Monday in Mumbai with a total of 409 players going under the hammer.
Meanwhile India opener Smriti Mandhana broke bank as she became the first pick in the Women’s Premier League auction history, being bought by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for 3.40 Cr. The second costliest Indian player so far is all-rounder Deepti Sharma who was bought by UP Warriors for Rs 2.6 crore.
Who is Jasia?
The cricket-crazy fans of Kashmir are familiar with the likes of male cricketers Parvez Rasool, Umran Malik and others but they hardly follow the heroics of J&K’s top women cricketer Jasia Akhtar who has made her name in the National cricket arena.
The lack of professionalism in the J&K women’s cricket arena has forced this multi-talented cricketer from the Shopian area of Kashmir to opt for outside teams where she is in high demand.
In the last five years, Jasia has emerged as one of the top women cricketers in India in the National arena. After initially playing for Punjab in National events, Jasia shifted to Rajasthan leading them to qualification in One Day and T20 tournaments.
She is currently captain of the Rajasthan team.
While J&K has hardly even qualified for the knockout stage, Jasia has been able to win titles with outside teams and also made a low-profile team like Rajasthan qualify for the knockout stage of the T20 tournament and semifinal in another event. She was the only outside player on the Rajasthan side and single-handedly lead the team to the qualification.
Jasia this season has been in terrific form emerging as the top and second-top run-getter in the Country. In the Senior Womens One Day tournament, Jasia Akhter scored 501 runs in the nine matches played this season. She has scored two centuries and one fifty. She averages 62 with the best score of 155*. She stands at top of the table in the highest run-getters list.
In the senior womens T20 tournament, Jasia Akhter scored 273 runs in the seven matches played with an average of 45. She has hit one century and two fifties with the best of 125* not out. Her strike rate in the T20 tournament is 138 and stands in second place in the highest run scorers list.
Jasia joined Rajasthan in 2021 after an offer from the cricket Association. She was directly appointed as the skipper of the team and was assigned to revive the side at the National level in which Jasia has succeeded.