13 cricketers from Indore selected in women’s MPL

Indore: Indore has emerged as the leading contributor to first-ever women's Madhya Pradesh League (MPL), with 13 female cricketers from the city selected to play for the three teams. This is the highest number of selections from any division in MP, highlighting the city's growing dominance in women's cricket.The league will also see eight players from Bhopal, five from Gwalior, four each from Jabalpur, Shahdol, and Narmadapuram, two each from Rewa, Sagar, and Ujjain, and one each from Chambal and a guest player of MPCA from Kerala. The youngest among them is 15-year-old Naivedhya Chauhan from Sagar, who will make her MPL debut this season.Naivedhya, a left-arm medium pacer, trained in Indore for the past four years under renowned coach Devashish Nilose. Though she officially represents Sagar in inter-divisional tournaments, her skills were honed at Indore's cricketing facilities. The young cricketer lost her father a few months back and aims to live her father's dream of being an international player for India."Naivedhya is strong and focused. She is the youngest in the MPL women's edition and has a bright future. The girls from Indore, including Anaadi, Ayushi and Priyanka, have also worked hard and performed consistently," Nilose, who also serves as secretary of Indore Divisional Cricket Association told TOI.The MPL will feature three women's teams — Bhopal Wolves, Bundelkhand Bulls, and Chambal Ghariyals — in its inaugural edition. The tournament has generated buzz not just for its scale, but for the high calibre of talent it has attracted. The tournament is slated to take place from May 27 to June 8. As per the tentative schedule, a total of 24 matches are scheduled in MPL for men's teams, while four matches are scheduled for women's teams.The women's team matches are expected to be played in the second half of the tournament, with the finals of both men's and women's categories scheduled on the same day.Among Indore's standout players are Ayushi Shukla and Anaadi Tagde, both currently part of a national-level U-19 group undergoing intensive training at the BCCI's National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. Anaadi is known for her aggressive fast bowling and reliable middle-order batting, while Ayushi has built a reputation as a consistent all-rounder.Other selected players from Indore include Aashna Patidar, Dhani Buchade, Vaishnavi Vyas, Sanjana Awase, Khyati Shukla, Tamanna Choudhary, Priyanka Kaushal, Jia Jethwa, Suhani Sharma, and Kanishka Thakur. Several of these players represented the division in state-level tournaments and are now ready to prove their mettle in a league format.Adding further strength to the tournament are seven Icon Players, all of whom donned Indian colours on the international stage. These include Soumya Tiwari (Bhopal), Shuchi Upadhyay (Mandla), Anushka Sharma and Vaishnavi Sharma (Gwalior), Ayushi Shukla (Indore), Sanskriti Gupta (Sidhi), and Kranti Goud (Chhatarpur). Notably, Shuchi Upadhyay is currently part of the Indian team competing in the ODI Tri-Nation Series in Colombo, being held from April 27 to May 7.In the recent player draft held in Indore, Anushka, Vaishnavi, and Aayushi were into Bundelkhand Bulls, Shuchi and Soumya Tiwari into Chambal Ghariyals, and Sanskriti Gupta and Kranti Goud into Bhopal Wolves. Guest player Jincy George from Kerala, who represents Madhya Pradesh in domestic cricket, has also been picked by Bundelkhand Bulls.With a diverse mix of experienced players and rising stars, this MPL is set to be a game-changer for women's cricket in the state.