Top 20 Women Cricket Players in India

Indian women’s cricket team have been around since the 1970s and there are matches played such as Women’s One Day Internationals (WODIs), Women’s Test Cricket, and Women’s Twenty20 International (WT20I) matches, respectively. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the regulatory body of India’s women cricket just as it is for the Indian cricket team.

Women in Blue Team are the Pride of India

Similar to the Men in Blue of India’s cricket team, the nation also has Women in Blue that represent the women’s cricket team who play both at national and international levels. India’s women cricketers are no less than the men’s cricket team in the format of playing matches and test series.

Aside from scoring higher runs and taking the most wickets in different matches played against teams from various countries, India’s women cricketers have won several awards and recognition, too!

Related Blog: Top 20 Cricket Players in India 

Here, we’re going to look at the twenty best and most famous players in India’s women cricket.

20 Famous Women Cricket Players of India

Below is an alphabetically sorted list of the twenty best women cricket players in India.

1. Anjum Chopra

Skill: Bats-woman

Anjum Chopra, an esteemed ex-cricketer from India, holds the distinction of being the first Indian woman cricketer to participate in 100 One Day Internationals (ODIs). In total, she represented India in 127 ODIs and also took part in 12 Test matches during her illustrious career.

Chopra, who made her test debut against England in 1995, had a notable start to her career scoring 27 runs in the first innings. She played her final test match against England in November 2006. Her breakthrough performance in One Day Internationals came in July 2005 when she scored her first century against Sri Lanka. Chopra announced her retirement from international cricket in 2012. Since hanging up her boots, she has pursued a successful career as a television commentator and cricket analyst.

2. Dayalan Hemalatha

Skill: Bats-woman and Bowler (Off-break)

Dayalan Hemalatha is a versatile player in the Indian women’s cricket team, known for her skills as a right-arm off-break bowler and a right-handed batsman. She initially represented the South Zone team in the state of Tamil Nadu when she started her cricket journey. To date, Hemalatha has participated in 9 One Day International (ODI) matches throughout her career.

In 2018, she made her debut in women’s international cricket with a one-day match against Sri Lanka. Additionally, her first T20I international cricket match was also played in the same year against New Zealand.

3. Deepti Sharma

Skill: Bats-woman and Bowler

Deepti Bhagwan Sharma, hailing from Uttar Pradesh, is a distinguished cricketer both in her home state and on the international stage. She represents the Indian women’s national cricket team and has become a source of immense pride for her state. Deepti embarked on her journey as an international cricketer back in 2014, and since then, she has continuously showcased her skills and contributions to the sport.

She is a versatile player who excels in both batting and bowling. Her batting style is left-handed, while she bowls right-arm off-break. Her impressive performance has earned her a total of 188 runs in wodis, which ranks as the third-highest score in the tournament.

4. Ekta Bisht

Skill: Bats-woman and Bowler

Ekta Bisht started her debut in India Women’s cricket in 2011 against Australia and became one of the senior cricketers in the Indian Women’s cricket team. She is the first cricketer for India to take a hat-trick in the last over in the 2012 Women’s Twenty20 International (WT20I) match played in Sri Lanka. She is also considered the most experienced women cricketer in the team.

In 2011, she earned a spot in the Indian women’s national cricket team and made her debut in a WODI match against Australia.

5. Harmanpreet Kaur

Skill: Bats-woman

Harmanpreet Kaur made her debut in the Indian national cricket team in 2009 and has since, played over 200 matches for team India. Kaur is a bats-woman who is capable of hitting huge sixes. She has made an exceptional century in Women’s T20I 2018 making her the first Indian woman who had done this. She is also a useful bowler, and her all-round ability has made her an important member of the team. At present, she captains the Indian women’s cricket team in all formats in the absence of Mithali Raj, the captain of the Indian team.

Harmanpreet Kaur, an exceptional all-rounder, has made remarkable contributions to her team. In recognition of her outstanding cricket performance, she was honored with the prestigious Arjuna Award by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in 2017.

6. Jemimah Rodrigues

Skill: Bats-woman

Jemimah Rodrigues, an exceptional Indian cricketer, is renowned for her youth, talent, and remarkable work ethic. In the month of June 2018, she was honored by veteran cricketer MS Dhoni with the prestigious Jagmohan Dalmiya Award. This award, presented by the BCCI in Jharkhand, India, acknowledged her significant contributions as the best domestic junior women’s cricketer.

The young bats-woman became the second Indian woman to score a double-century in ODI cricket when she scored an unbeaten 202 for Mumbai against Saurashtra in 2017 and was also awarded the Best Woman Cricketer award (Jr Domestic) at the BCCI awards for 2017-18 seasons. Besides being skilled in cricket, she excels in hockey as well, having represented Maharashtra in both sports.

7. Jhulan Goswami

Skill: Bowler (Fast Pace)

Jhulan Goswami hailed as one of the greatest female cricketers in India’s history, established herself as a prominent figure in the sport. In 2002, she made her debut for the national team and has since showcased her exceptional skills in over 250 matches. With a remarkable tally of over 300 international wickets, Jhulan has rightfully earned her reputation as one of the quickest female bowlers ever. Additionally, she holds the prestigious record for being the highest wicket-taker in women’s One Day Internationals (ODIs).

Goswami, a skilled cricketer, excels in both pace and spin bowling, making her a versatile player. Additionally, she is a valuable asset to the team due to her aptitude as a batswoman. In recognition of her all-round abilities, she was honoured with the prestigious M.A. Chidambaram trophy for the best women’s cricketer in 2011. Further adding to her accomplishments, Goswami was awarded the Padma Shri in 2012.

8. Mansi Joshi

Skill: Bats-woman and Bowler (Medium-fast)

Mansi Joshi began her career in national cricket in India in the year 2016. She is a medium-fast bowler and a right-handed bats-woman for her cricket team. In the year 2017, she made her debut in international cricket by playing her first one-day match. It was a match against Ireland. She is a leading cricketer in the Indian Women’s cricket team.

She made her T20 debut playing against Bangladesh in the 2016 Women’s Twenty20 Asia Cup in Thailand and was named player of the match.

9. Mithali Raj

Skill: Bats-woman

Mithali Raj, a prominent figure in Indian women’s cricket, is widely regarded as a legendary player. Her remarkable journey began in 1999 and she has since represented the national team in over 300 matches. With her exceptional batting skills, Raj has amassed more than 10,000 runs throughout her illustrious career. Furthermore, she has also served as the captain of the Indian women’s team and her outstanding leadership qualities have played a pivotal role in the team’s achievements. Raj’s accomplishments and dedication have not only made her an inspiration for aspiring female athletes but also a source of encouragement for all young girls who dream of pursuing sports.

Mithali Raj, a renowned cricketer, has achieved several impressive records in the realm of international cricket. Notably, she holds the record for scoring the highest number of runs in Women’s One Day Internationals (WODIs). Furthermore, in 2005, she took on the responsibility of leading the Indian team in WODIs as their captain.

Mithali Raj’s remarkable fitness level and unwavering determination have allowed her to contribute to Indian cricket for over two decades. Her exceptional skills and dedication to the sport have been recognized through numerous prestigious awards. In 2003, she received the Arjuna Award, followed by the Padma Shri in 2015, among many others.

After a long and illustrious career, Mithali Raj decided to retire from all forms of international cricket in 2022, leaving behind an incredible legacy in the sport.

10. Mona Meshram

Skill: Bats-woman and Bowler

Mona Meshram is a right-handed bats-woman and right-arm bowler of the India Women’s cricket team. She bats right-handed and bowls with her right arm, playing as a medium-speed bowler. She began her ODI cricket debut in 2012 playing against Ireland, and her T20I debut as well in 2012, where she played against the England Women’s team.

In the 2010-11 season, she was honoured with the prestigious M.A. Chidambaram Award by the BCCI for her outstanding performance as the top junior female cricketer. She scored 623 runs in 8 matches, inclusive of one century and 5 half-centuries.

11. Neetu David

Skill: Bats-woman and Bowler (Off Spinner)

Neetu David is a former Indian cricketer who represented team India in One Day Internationals and Test matches. David made her debut as an all-rounder, proficient in right-handed batting and left-arm off-spin bowling. She played her first test match against New Zealand in 1995, and her last test match against England eleven years later. In between, she played in 25 Test matches and took 41 wickets at an average of 18.90. Neetu has the distinction of being the first Indian woman bowler to take 100 ODI wickets.

Neetu David is the present Chairperson of the BCCI women’s selection committee and a former Indian Women’s Cricketer who played for the national women’s cricket team.

12. Poonam Yadav

Skill: Bowler (Leg Spinner)

Poonam Yadav, hailing from the India women’s cricket team, is known for her exceptional leg-spin bowling skills. She embarked on her cricket journey in 2013, making her debut in a WT20I match against Bangladesh.

Poonam, a prominent cricketer from the Indian women’s cricket team, made her debut in the Test series against South Africa in the year 2014. Prior to that, she had already marked her presence by debuting in One Day Internationals (ODIs) in 2013, playing against Bangladesh. Poonam’s impressive skills and performance led to her recognition as one of the top five women cricketers in the T20I category. With her significant contributions, she has become a leading figure in the India women’s cricket team.

13. Punam Raut

Skill: Bats-woman and Bowler (Off-break)

Punam Raut is a right-hand bats-woman and right-arm off-break bowler of the India Women’s cricket team. She made her debut in ODI cricket in 2009 playing against West Indies and in Test cricket in the year 2014, where the match was played against England.

In an ODI match against Ireland in the year 2017, she made a world record of 320 runs in partnership with Deepti Sharma as an opening bats-woman. She even played in the Women’s Cricket World Cup Finals in the year 2017 which was a match against the England Women’s team.

Raut made 3 centuries and 15 half-centuries in ODIs, 1 century in Women’s Test cricket and 4 half-centuries in WT20I matches, respectively.

14. Shefali Verma

Skill: Bats-woman

Shafali Verma, a member of India’s women’s cricket team, holds the position of an opening batswoman. With her exceptional batting skills, she has managed to maintain an outstanding strike rate. Notably, she achieved the remarkable feat of becoming the youngest cricketer to participate in a women’s Twenty20 international match for India at the tender age of 15.

Because there was no girls’ cricket academy available in her hometown, she had to adopt a disguise as a boy in order to attend the boys’ academy for cricket training.

15. Shikha Pandey

Skill: Bowler (Medium-fast Pace)

Shikha Pandey, a professional cricket player from India, specializes as a right-arm medium-fast bowler. She began her career in One Day Internationals with her debut match against England in August 2014. Notably, she has also represented India in the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 in 2018 and the ICC Women’s World Cup in 2022.

Shikha Pandey, a talented cricketer, has proudly represented India in 55 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 56 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). In addition to her national appearances, she has also showcased her skills as a member of the Indian Railways women’s cricket team.

16. Shubhangi Kulkarni

Skill: Bowler (Leg Spinner)

Shubhangi Kulkarni is a former leg spinner and a right-handed bats-woman in the Indian women’s cricket team. In 1985 she became the third woman to receive the Arjuna Award. Kulkarni made her debut against New Zealand in 1978, and she made her ODI debut against the West Indies cricket team in 1976.

In 2006, after her retirement, Shubhangi Kulkarni assumed the role of secretary in the Women’s Cricket Association of India, which later merged with the BCCI.

17. Smriti Mandhana

Skill: Bats-woman

Smriti Mandhana, who made her debut in 2013, is considered one of the top Indian women cricketers. Her contributions have played a crucial role in the team’s successes. Mandhana, a left-handed batswoman, is renowned for her aggressive batting style and proficiency in scoring runs swiftly. She has represented India in both Test and One Day International (ODI) cricket formats. Notably, she was a part of the Indian team that competed in the 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup.

In 2014, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recognized her as the top female cricketer of the year.

18. Tanya Bhatia

Skill: Wicket-keeper and Bats-woman

Tanya Bhatia is the India Women’s cricket team’s wicketkeeper and has played a total of 19 matches in ODIs and Test cricket for India.

Tanya Bhatia made her Women’s Twenty20 International (WT20I) cricket debut for India Women against South Africa Women in 2018. In her second ODI match, she made 66 runs from 68 balls. She received five breakout stars from ICC in women’s cricket in the year 2018. She made her Test cricket debut in 2021 when playing against the England Women’s team.

19. Thirush Kamini

Skill: Bats-woman and Bowler (Legbreak)

Thirush Kamini is a left-handed bats-woman and right-arm leg-break bowler playing for India Women’s cricket team. She began her ODI cricket debut in 2006 against Pakistan, also T20I debut in 2008 against Australia, and her Test cricket debut in 2014 against England. Kamini has scored 2 centuries and 3 half-centuries in ODIs, 1 half-century in T20I, and 1 century in Test cricket.

Thirush Kamini is the only woman cricketer to have won the BCCI Junior Player of the Year 2007-2008, BCCI Senior Player of the Year 2009-2010 and BCCI Senior Player of the Year 2012-2014 awards, respectively.

20. Veda Krishnamurthy

Skill: Bats-woman and Bowler

Veda Krishnamurthy is an Indian cricketer who plays for the Indian women’s cricket team. She made her One Day International (ODI) debut against England in September 2011 and her T20I debut against Australia in June 2011. Veda is both a right-arm bowler and a right-handed bats-woman for the Indian women’s cricket team.

She began playing for Karnataka in the 2010-11 season and achieved her first century in the 2012-13 season. Krishnamurthy played a crucial role in the Indian team’s journey to the final of the 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup. Currently, she holds the position of middle-order batswoman in the Indian women’s cricket team.

Wrapping Up

India boasts a rich and illustrious cricketing heritage that spans over several decades. The men’s team is one of the best in the world, and the women’s cricket team is quickly catching up. Indian women cricketers are talented and are always ready to move every stone for their nation’s pride.