WPL 2024: Meghna Singh becomes first Indian quick to pick four-for

Right-arm medium-pacer Meghna Singh, who made her WPL debut last Sunday against the Mumbai Indians, bagged 4 for 37 off her full allocation of four overs against the Capitals. (Photo: ESPNcricinfo)

Playing only her fourth match of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), Meghna Singh became the first Indian pacer to pick up a four-for at the WPL. An India international, Meghna achieved the feat during the fixture between her side, the Gujarat Giants, and the Delhi Capitals, the 10th match of the second edition of the WPL on Sunday evening at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Right-arm medium-pacer Meghna, who made her WPL debut last Sunday against the Mumbai Indians, bagged 4 for 37 off her full allocation of four overs against the Capitals. The wickets of Shafali Verma, Alice Capsey, Meg Lanning — who make up the Capitals’ top three — and Radha Yadav comprised her historic haul. Her efforts helped the Beth Mooney-led Giants limit heavyweights Capitals, captained by Lanning, to 163 for 3 after Giants won the toss and sent the opposition in to bat.

“I have the words 'stay strong' tattooed on my hand, so my coach said I have to point to it every time I take a wicket tonight,” Meghna said of her celebrations “The pitch is good for batting. It was a little tough to bowl on but we covered for it well.”

Leading into Sunday’s match, Meghna, a swing bowler, had returned figures of 0 for 19 against Mumbai, 0 for 17 against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, and 1 for 39 against the UP Warriorz. In pretty much all four matches, Meghna’s ability to move the ball in the air with deft control has found expression.

Having gone unsold in the first season, she was picked up for Rs 30 lakh by the Giants ahead of WPL 2024 during the December 9 mini auction in Mumbai. She was the first Indian player to get a bid at last year’s auction. The ongoing WPL season is a key platform for the 29-year-old to make a mark and thrust herself back into the reckoning for national selection ahead of the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September-October this year.

Having made her international debut during the 2021 tour of Australia, Meghna has been capped 27 times for India in total, including once in the longest format. She hails from Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, and last played a T20I in December 2022, during India’s home series against Australia at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

She was part of the Indian squad for the 2022 Women's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand as well as the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, where she also made her T20I debut and went on to finish on the podium courtesy of eventual silver medallists India finishing runners-up to Australia in the final.