The spotlight usually stays on the batters in T20I cricket. The bowlers are usually left frustrated as the batters put up a show with their clean striking.
The Women’s Premier League (WPL), however, contrasts this trend. From its very inception, the women’s T20 league has already experienced fantastic bowling performances by bowlers.
Among them, a couple of bowlers achieved a greater level and made it into the record books with five-wicket hauls, which are quite rare in the shortest format.
Therefore, below are the bowlers who bagged five-wicket hauls in the WPL.
1. Tara Norris (DC) – 5/29 vs RCB, 2023
The WPL was just one match old, and we got the first five-wicket in the second game. The unknown Tara Norris made her mark in Mumbai on March 5, 2023, and she is the first five-wicket taker in WPL.
Coming from the USA, her timely dismissals were responsible for the swing of the match in favor of Delhi Capitals (DC). Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) were on the way to victory with a score of 89 for 2 in chasing down a target of 224 runs.
It was then that Norris picked her first wicket when Ellyse Perry edged the ball onto the stumps. Two balls later, she got rid of Disha Kasat, who had come down the wicket and was caught.
In her next over, she took two wickets off two balls as Richa Ghosh and Kanika Ahuja were both caught. Then, she ended her spell with Heather Knight’s wicket. Norris had the figures of 5 for 29 in four overs to help DC win the match.
2. Kim Garth (GG) – 5/36 vs UPW, 2023
It wasn’t even a few hours after Norris’ fifer that we already had the second one on the same day. In the evening game, Kim Garth demonstrated her mastery over both the new and old ball.
The Gujarat Giants had a target of 170 runs to defend, and they needed to get rid of the top order early. And that’s exactly what Garth did.
She got the UP Warriorz captain, Alyssa Healy, dismissed by caught and bowled at the very beginning of the third over. Then she ended the over with wickets of Shweta Sehrawat and Tahlia McGrath.
The 13th over was when Garth came back to finish her five-wicket haul. The fast bowler got rid of Kiran Navgire and Simran Shaikh, taking them out in consecutive balls, and thus UPW found themselves at 88 for 6.
However, a counterattack by UPW’s players has made Garth’s 5 for 36 a losing cause.
3. Marizanne Kapp (DC) – 5/15 vs GG, 2023
In the opening match of the inaugural season, another Delhi bowler came to the fore. South African all-rounder Marizanne Kapp gave the crowd a reason to cheer with the new ball against GG.
Kapp delivered four overs in a row to dismiss the first five Gujarat batters. Kapp launched the bowling and the first wicket fell on the second ball. She bowled Shabbineni Meghna clean with a duck.
Kapp sent Laura Wolvaardt back to the pavilion in the same manner two overs later and then trapped Ashleigh Gardner LBW on the next ball. Kapp was unstoppable with the help of the movement.
In the fifth over, she had Harleen Deol LBW out and wrapped up the five-for along with Sushma Verma’s departure. The sudden fall of wickets led to Gujarat scoring only 105, which Delhi easily chased down. Kapp’s 5 for 15 earned her the Player of the Match award.
4. Asha Sobhana (RCB) – 5/22 vs UPW, 2024
Asha Sobhana was the first Indian bowler to take a five-wicket haul in the WPL after three foreign bowlers. She achieved this feat in the second match of the 2024 season.
RCB had scored 157 runs in their first innings. Considering that the Chinnaswamy Stadium was a good batting wicket, the score was not enough.
But Sobhana’s performance was the game-changer. She took two wickets in the ninth over. First, she had Vrinda Dinesh stumped and then bowled out Tahlia McGrath.
Fast forward to the 17th over, UPW were in a strong position at 126 for 3. Then, Sobhana changed the course of the match.
The leg spinner took three wickets in the over. She got rid of two of the best batsmen, Shweta Sehrawat and Grace Harris, and concluded the spell by taking Kiran Navgire’s wicket. Sobhana’s 5 for 22 was instrumental in RCB winning by two runs.
5. Ellyse Perry (RCB) – 6/15 vs MI, 2024
If the bowlers from Delhi did well in the first season, the second season was the turn of RCB bowlers to get attention. Ellyse Perry was in the list of Sobhana towards the end of the league stage. And her performance was timely.
RCB faced the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 19th match of the season. They had to win at any cost to reach the playoffs. And a great performance saw RCB slither into the Eliminator with ease.
The eventual winners let MI bat first. The Indians started well and were looking for a cushty total.
But suddenly Perry demolished Mumbai’s middle order. She began with two quick dismissals of Sajeevan Sajana and Harmanpreet Kaur in the ninth over.
Then she got rid of Amelia Kerr and Amanjot Kaur in the 11th over and then two more wickets in the 13th over to complete her haul. Perry’s 6 for 15 is the best bowling performance in the WPL.
Subsequently, she had the bat and scored a match-winning 40 not out to take RCB to the playoffs. Plus, her all-around contribution earned her the Player of the Match award. It is no surprise that Perry is the Greatest of All Time.
