Published: Apr 14, 2016, 04:24 PM (IST)
Edited: Apr 14, 2016, 04:24 PM (IST)
The inaugural season of Women’s Super League is set to feature some of the best players around. The likes of Meg Lanning(Australia), Stafanie Taylor(West Indies) and Suzie Bates(New Zealand) have confirmed their presence for the first season of WCL. The tournament, which is hosted by England Cricket Board, is quite similar to the Women’s Big Bash League of Australia. Six teams – Lancashire Thunder, Loughborough Lightning, Southern Vipers, Surrey Stars, Western Storm and Yorkshire Diamonds will take part in this season’s WCL. Each time has already chosen 3 international players, along with the English players who will take part. One of the teams, Lancashire Thunder, lost one of its international players, Austalia’s Jess Jonassen. A replacement for the player will be announced soon. ALSO READ: Charlotte Edwards to lead Southern Vipers in inaugural Women’s Super League
Speaking about the WSL, ECB’s director of Women’s team, Clare Connor said,”One of the driving principles behind the establishment of the Kia Super League was to create a world class competition where the world’s best play. Revealing who the overseas players will be undoubtedly hits this mark. The six teams are all brimming with talent, quality and the very best female cricketers from across the world; the Kia Super League is set to be a brilliant showcase for the women’s game.”
“Over the last few weeks, we have worked extensively with the Kia Super League teams to select the overseas players from a pool of over 65 who expressed an interest in being involved this summer. To see the final allocations in black and white is very exciting and I cannot wait to see these teams in action now,” reported ESPNcricinfo.
Meg Lanning, the leading T20 batman in the Women’s cricket spoke about the tournament. “I’m really looking forward to playing in the Kia Super League,” Lanning said. “It’s another huge step forward for the women’s game following on from the Women’s Big Bash League in Australia, and I can’t wait to get stuck in with the Surrey Stars once the tournament gets underway.
“The interest in the Kia Super League and WBBL from overseas players demonstrates how valuable these new competitions are for the global development of women’s cricket – as international players it’s a really good time to be involved in the game.”
The tournament is scheduled to take place between July 30 and August 14, with the finals to be played on August 21. The opening match will see Yorkshire Diamonds take on Loughborough Lightning at Headingly.
