Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Axar Patel Nominated For ICC 'Player Of The Month' For September

05.10.2022 - 16:35 sports.ndtv.com

The Indian trio of Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur and Axar Patel was on Wednesday nominated ICC 'Player of the Month' award in the women and men's categories for September.

Skipper Kaur and vice-captain Mandhana have been shortlisted for the very first time and if one of them goes on to win will then become the first ever India player to win the Women's Player of the Month award, thanks to stellar performances in both ODI and T20I series in England.

Axar, on the other hand, has been nominated for the men's Player of the Month following a series of impressive and restrictive bowling displays against Australia and South Africa.

Despite a disappointing T20I series in England at the start of the month, Kaur was in imperious form during the subsequent ODI series which followed.

cricket International Cricket Council player Harmanpreet Kaur Smriti Mandhana Axar Patel Australia South Africa India Bangladesh

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur was on Wednesday ruled out of the ongoing Women's Big Bash League due to a back injury according to her side Melbourne Renegades. Harmanpreet, the reigning WBBL player of the tournament had missed her side's opening two matches due to international commitments as she led India at the Asia Cup, winning the title.

Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma attain career-best T20 rankings

Both Mandhana and Deepti have moved to within striking distance of the top spot for batters and bowlers, respectively, after the latest weekly update. Mandhana, who has been a top-ranked batter in ODIs, moved up after scoring an unbeaten 51 off 25 balls, which guided her team to an eight-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the final of the Asia Cup in Sylhet, Bangladesh recently.

It's Official! BCCI Gives Formal Go Ahead To Women's Indian Premier League

The much-anticipated Women's IPL will finally see the light of the day as the tournament was approved by the General Body of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday at the 91st Annual General Meeting in Mumbai. In an official media release issued by the board, it was confirmed that the tournament will indeed be held. "The General Body approved to conduct the Women's Indian Premier League," stated the release.

Harmanpreet Kaur Registers This Big T20I Record During Women's Asia Cup Final

Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur added another feather to her hat after she surpassed New Zealand all-rounder Suzie Bates to become the most capped Women's T20I player in the history of the game. The 33-year-old made her 137th appearance in the final of the Asia Cup against Sri Lanka at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium in Bangladesh on Saturday. Harmanpreet played her 136th T20I against Thailand in the semi-finals of the Asia Cup to level the record with Bates. The New Zealander is now placed second on the list with 136 matches in T20Is. Bates has scored 3613 runs with a century to her name.

Asia Cup provided us platform to test our limitations and try combinations: Harmanpreet Kaur

Despite the experimentation, the Indian team cruised to the summit clash without being challenged much, though it lost to Pakistan in the league stage. India will clash with on Sri Lanka in the final on Saturday for an unprecedented seventh trophy. "This (Asia Cup) is such a platform where you can test your limitations, what type of cricket you want to play and that's what we done in this tournament, always testing ourselves, putting us into pressure," Harmanpreet said on the eve of the title-clash. "We tried a lot of combinations because we have to do those things as the World Cup is around the corner." Harmanpreet said their focus after stepping on to Bangladesh soil was to unearth future match-winners. "When we came to Bangladesh we discussed that every game we have to look for different match winners, we didn't want to depend on one or two players. We wanted everyone to step up and win the game for the team and I am really happy that we are getting different match winners," she said. "The most important thing is to stay positive and keep thinking what you can do better for the team. I don't feel we need to think about too many things, just stay positive."

You Need Runs To Get Confidence, Says Harmanpreet Kaur After Returning To Playing XI

India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur on Thursday said the 36 runs she scored against Thailand in the women's Asia Cup semifinal was a much-needed confidence booster for her after returning to the side following a brief injury lay-off. Harmanpreet, who is enjoying a purple patch, missed India's last two league games due to a niggle, but returned to lead the side on Thursday and scored a fine 30-ball 36 with the help of four boundaries to help India post a challenging 148 for 6. "That partnership (between her and Jemimah Rodrigues) helped us to get a score on the board. When you're not playing a lot, you need runs to get confidence," the India captain said after a comfortable 74-run win over Thailand in the semifinal.