'Jasia jaisi koi nahi'! Jasia Akhtar becomes first J&K cricketer to bag WPL contract

Jasia Akhter (Pic Courtesy: Jasia Akhter/Facebook)

The Women's Premier League (WPL) 2023 auction concluded on Monday after a record-breaking bidding day in Mumbai, laying the groundwork for what promises to be an electrifying season of T20 cricket ahead.

The five WPL teams bought a total of 87 players, including 57 Indians and 30 overseas players, after spending a sum total of INR 59.50 crore on Monday. However, amidst all the frenzy around the glitzy event, it was a red letter day for Kashmir after Delhi Capitals acquired the services of Jasia Akhter, the first cricketer from the state to be picked in the WPL auction. The 34-year-old caught everyone's attention with her big hits in several domestic tournaments preceding the auction.

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Other cricketers from the valley, like speedster Umran Malik and Parvez Rasool, are among the known faces in the cash-rich event. Having been bought by Delhi Capitals for INR 20 lakh, it was Jasia's exploits with the bat which put her talent on notice. In no time, the WPL scouts started digging deep to unearth raw talent from her state which saw the addition of her name in the sold category alongside others.

Unlike other Indian states, cricket in Jammu and Kashmir has been tormented by lack of proper infrastructure and limited opportunities to play at the professional level. Due to a lackadaisical approach towards the development of women's cricket in the state, Akhter could not continue her cricketing career for Kashmir and later went on to join the state of Punjab for national events. She was offered a contract by Rajasthan in 2021, joining which she took up the role of a captain.

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Akhter has amassed 501 runs including two centuries and a half-century, from nine matches at an impressive average of 62 in the senior Women's One Day tournament. She has smashed a total of 273 runs in the senior women's T20 tournament after playing in seven matches with the highest score being 125'. Akhter emerged as the highest run-scorer in both the tournaments.

On a day where demand and supply curves are expected to take everyone on a rollercoaster ride, Akhter and her family only hoped the paddle would go up, at least once, before the auctioneer's hammer crashes into the podium. Despite not having bagged an insane deal, she was nonetheless ecstatic after being picked in the auction. "The initial bid was INR 10 lakh but at last the auction was sealed at INR 20 lakh," she told Rising Kashmir. "Jasia Jaisi Koi nahi, The #CapitalsUniverse is stoked to have you!" tweeted Delhi Capitals.