New Delhi, Feb 5 (SocialNews.XYZ) Former England captain Charlotte Edwards has been appointed as head coach of Mumbai Indians-owned franchise in the upcoming Women's Premier League (WPL).
She is joined by legendary India fast bowler Jhulan Goswami in a dual role of team mentor and bowling coach while Devieka Palshikaar has been signed up as a batting coach and Trupti Chandgadkar Bhattacharya is the team manager.
"I am delighted to welcome Charlotte Edwards, Jhulan Goswami, and Devieka Palshikaar to the MI #OneFamily. It is wonderful to see more and more women in sport, excelling not just as players, but also as coaches, administrators, and support staff. This is an exciting time for women's sport in India."
"I am sure that under Charlotte's brilliant leadership and with the able support of our bowling coach and mentor Jhulan and our batting coach Devieka, our women's team will build on and carry forward MI's iconic legacy. I look forward to working closely with our coaches and the entire team on this very exciting journey ahead," said Nita M Ambani, Director of Reliance Industries, owners of Mumbai Indians, in an official statement.
Charlotte is widely regarded as one of women's cricket all-time greats. In a career spanning across 20 years, she has captained England to Women's ODI and T20 World Cup victories in 2009. A prolific right-handed batter, Charlotte played 23 Tests, 191 ODIs and 95 T20Is for England.
She has been honoured by Order of the British Empire as a MBE in 2009 and a CBE in 2014, and has won numerous awards and accolades as player and coach, including 2008 ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year award. The English women's cricket T20 domestic competition is named after her, and in 2022, Charlotte was inducted into the ICC Hall of fame.
After her playing career ended, Charlotte has held head coach roles at Southern Vipers (led them to three titles), Southern Brave (two runners-up finishes in The Hundred), and Adelaide Strikers (assistant coach) as well as Sydney Sixers in WBBL (runners-up in 2022/23 season).
Jhulan, a Padma Shri, and Arjuna Awardee is considered to be one of the greatest bowlers to ever play the sport. She represented India in 12 Tests, 204 ODIs and 68 T20Is, picking 355 wickets across formats, the most by any bowler in women's international cricket.
In ODIs, she picked 255 wickets, a record in women's international cricket. She remains the leading wicket-taker in the history of the Women's Cricket World Cups with 43 scalps. As of now, she is currently associated with the Bengal women's team as a mentor.
Devieka, an all-rounder who represented India in 15 ODIs and one Test, played as a right-handed batter and right-arm leg break bowler. She was also player and coach of the Assam Woman's team from 2009 to 2012. After her playing career ended, Palshikaar was assistant coach of India women's team between 2014 and 2016, and was assistant coach of Bangladesh when they won the 2018 Asia Cup.
In India, she has coached various Indian domestic teams, and was head coach of Velocity for the 2022 Women's T20 Challenge that made it to the finals. Trupti, on the other hand, is a former cricketer, former manager of the Indian Women's team and former selector at MCA.
The inaugural edition of the WPL, which will have 22 matches, is expected to be played in March this year. Many reports are also suggesting the player auction will be held on February 13.
Source: IANS
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