Photo Credit: Melbourne Renegades
Harmanpreet Kaur has become the first Indian player to be named the WBBL Player of the Tournament, while Phoebe Litchfield has been named the Young Gun of Weber WBBL|07.
PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT
Melbourne Renegades star Harmanpreet Kaur enjoyed a dominant season in red, ending the regular season as her side’s leading batter with 399 runs and bowler with 15 wickets.
The Indian T20 International captain demonstrated her experience and calm head at the crease throughout the tournament, taking home player of the match honours three times for her game-changing contributions.
Kaur was voted as the competition’s top player by the standing umpires at each match, polling 31 votes to finish three clear of Perth Scorchers pair Beth Mooney and Sophie Devine on 28 votes each. Grace Harris (25 votes) and Georgia Redmayne (24 votes), both of the Brisbane Heat, and Hurricanes batter Mignon du Preez (24 votes) round out the top six.
Kaur joins New Zealand pair Devine (twice) and Amy Satterthwaite as international players to be awarded the competition’s top individual honour, with Mooney, Meg Lanning and Ellyse Perry also previous recipients.
Harmanpreet Kaur, Melbourne Renegades all-rounder, said:
“I’m extremely delighted, it’s something very big that I have achieved.
“I’m very thankful to my team and all the support staff, they have been great during this time and have supported me a lot. It’s been totally a team effort – I was just doing the job the team was requiring from me.
“We have a team that has gelled together. We support each other and that’s what we have been doing… I haven’t put any extra pressure on myself, I’ve just enjoyed being here and supporting my teammates.”
YOUNG GUN AWARD
In just her second full season with Sydney Thunder, Phoebe Litchfield was named Weber WBBL|07’s ‘Young Gun’.
The Young Gun award is given to the best player under 21 years of age, as selected by Cricket Australia’s National Selection Panel.
The 18-year-old juggled her NSW Higher School Certificate commitments throughout the campaign while starring at number three in an injury-hit Thunder outfit, scoring 263 runs in the tournament.
Previous winners of the award are Darcie Brown, Hannah Darlington, Georgia Wareham, Sophie Molineux, Ashleigh Gardner and Lauren Cheatle.
Phoebe Litchfield, Sydney Thunder batter, said:
“It means a lot to be recognised with this award. It’s a surprise, to be honest. I could think of a number of other young players who would be deserving of this award, which is really exciting for the future.
“Batting at No. 3 was a challenge but also a great opportunity. I was very privileged that Trevor Griffin trusted me with that spot and I hope I made the most of it.”
WEBER WBBL|07 FINALS INFORMATION
The Eliminator: Brisbane Heat v Adelaide Strikers, Wednesday, November 24, Adelaide Oval, 6:40pm ACDT
The Challenger: Melbourne Renegades v Winner of The Eliminator, Thursday, November 25, Adelaide Oval, 6:40pm ACDT
The Final: Perth Scorchers v Winner of The Challenger, Saturday November 27, Optus Stadium, 4:10pm AWST
Tickets: Tickets are on sale for the three matches via cricket.com.au/big-bash
Tune in: The Weber WBBL|07 Finals will be broadcast nationally on Seven, Foxtel, Kayo and ABC Radio.
Name of Author: Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia (CA), formerly the Australian Cricket Board (ACB), is the governing body for cricket in Australia. Established in 1905 as the Australian Board of Control for International Cricket, CA manages all national teams, including Men’s, Women’s, and Youth sides, as well as other national teams. It oversees the organization of Test matches, ODIs, and T20Is, and coordinates home international fixtures.
