Supernovas, champions in 2018 and 2019, just about managed to ward off their rivals in a last-over thriller.
Clobbered by Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana recently, Australian pacer Megan Schutt says she hates playing against India and doesn't want to bowl at the marauding duo during powerplay when the two teams clash in the Women's T20 World Cup final, in Sydney on Sunday. Schutt, who took a crucial 2/17 in Australia's five-run win over South Africa in the rain-hit semi-final on Thursday, has still not recovered from the drubbing she got at the hands of Verma in the tournament-opener.
Kaur is the only Indian to feature in the best XI of WBBL despite some quality performances by the likes of Smriti Mandhana, who became the first from the country to hit a century in the league with a record-equalling 114 not out.
India's inspirational captain Harmanpreet Kaur claimed the ICC Women's Player of the Month award for September 2022.
India's teen sensation Shafali Verma moved up a rung to regain her position at the top of the ICC Women's T20I rankings for batters while her opening partner Smriti Mandhana dropped a spot to fourth.
Indian batting is prone to collapses, especially from a position of strength. Chasing 160, India were going strong at 102 for 1 but Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues's dismissals proved fatal for the visitors who collapsed to 136 all out, bringing back memories of their inexplicable surrender in the 2017 50-over World Cup final against England.
India bowled out Sri Lanka for 171 in 48.2 overs, and then chased down the target with 12 overs to spare.
The early overs used to be all about Smriti Mandhana but India's star opener says she feels relieved of pressure thanks to the emergence of teenage prodigy Shafali Verma. There's been no hesitation from Verma in making a name for herself on the global stage, the 16-year-old having scored 68 runs across two games, including five sixes and seven fours, at an impressive strike rate of 212.
The three-match T20I series thus ended 2-1 in favour of India, who stuttered after opting to bat before skipper Harmanpreet Kaur's resilient 39 not out (33b; 3x4, 1x6) propped up their total to 138 for five.
Jemimah Rodrigues's vital knock on return to secure a convincing 34-run victory
Harmanpreet extends association with Sydney Thunder for BBL
Meanwhile, the Board has given the names of Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik as India's representatives in the World XI team that will play West Indies in a charity Twenty20 match at the Lord's on May 31.
Opener Smriti Mandhana struck a stylish 67 off 41 balls, helping India post a decent total of 152 for five in 20 overs, but it was not enough as Australia chased down the total in 18.1 overs
The opener has played a couple of Tests, six ODIs and 28 T20 Internationals since making her debut
India's Deepti Sharma also moved up to no 6 while Poonam Yadav remained at eighth.
Daniellie Wyatt helped England pull off a record chase and crush India by seven wickets in their second T20 triangular series match, in Mumbai, on Sunday.
Opener Smriti Mandhana led the chase for India with familiar panache after a feisty bowling performance that steered the side to a series-clinching eight-wicket triumph over New Zealand Women in the second one-dayer.
Harleen Deol's (52) confident maiden international fifty was the only silver lining for an otherwise lacklustre display by the Indians, who posted a modest 130 for 6 after being invited to bat.
Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu smashed a quick-fire half-century as two-time champions Supernovas reached their third successive final with a narrow two-run win over Trailblazers in a last-ball finish at the Women's T20 Challenge, in Sharjah, on Saturday.
Ishan Kishan became the first India batsman to score fifties on debut in both T20Is and ODIs.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur says her team committed "no crime" after completing a first-ever whitewash in women's ODIs on English soil with a legal yet debatable run-out.
Mithali Raj has held onto her second spot in the batting ODI rankings, while Smriti Mandhana has risen four slots to take the eighth spot.
India Women beat England by 16 runs in the third and final ODI to record their first clean sweep in this country.
Smriti Mandhana-led IPL Trailblazers compete against IPL Supernovas, to be captained by Harmanpreet Kaur.
A dominant India sailed into the final of the women's Asia Cup Twenty20 tournament with a seven-wicket drubbing of arch-rivals Pakistan in their last round robin match, in Kuala Lumpur.
Harmanpreet Kaur, who did not get to do much in ODIs in which Mithali Raj was captain, will lead the T20 side.
India's young batters Yastika Bhatia and Shafali Verma dazzled at the top with contrasting half-centuries to power their team to a consolation two-wicket victory over Australia in the third women's ODI, which ended the home team's 26-match unbeaten streak in Mackay.
After winning the ODI series 2-1, Indian women lost momentum and subsequently conceded an unassailable 2-0 lead against England.
India produced a clinical all-round performance to thrash hosts South Africa by 88 runs in the first one-dayer of the ICC Women's Championship at Diamond Oval in Kimberley on Monday.
Shefali joins the trio of T20 skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (Sydney Thunder), opener Smriti Mandhana (Brisbane Heat) and all-rounder Veda Krishnamurthy (Hobart Hurricanes), which has featured in the WBBL.
Pacers Shikha Pandey and Jhulan Goswami snapped four wickets each while Smriti Mandhana hit a half-century as India outclassed England by seven wickets in the second ODI to seal the three-match series.
Call it destiny or design, Goswami's last hurrah is taking at Lord's.
India level series as England pressed self destruct button towards end
Star batter Harmanpreet Kaur struck form with a timely hundred as India eked out a narrow two-run victory over South Africa in a warm-up match of the ICC Women's World Cup, in Rangiora, New Zealand, on Sunday.
'Yes, I have applied this evening because Smriti (Mandhana), Harmanpreet (Kaur) have supported me and I can't let them (the girls) down by not applying'
In a letter to Rai, COA member Edulji said Powar should be given an extension at least till the New Zealand tour, considering he has the backing of T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur and seasoned opener Smriti Mandhana.
The Indian cricket fraternity has lauded the women's national team for starting its campaign in the ICC Women's World Cup on a winning note in the United Kingdom.
Teen sensation Shafali Verma is set to make her eagerly-anticipated ODI debut as the Indian women's team seeks white-ball course correction against a strong world champion English side in the first game of the three-match series, in Bristol, on Sunday.
WBBL is likely to clash with India's month-long tour of the Caribbean
