In the second game of the WPL 2024, the
32-year-old Indian uncapped Asha Sobhana took the limelight with her incredible
bowling performance in the Royal Challengers Bangalore Women’s (RCB) thrilling
victory against UP Warriorz Women.
Asha Sobhana became the first Indian bowler to record a five-wicket haul in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) history during the second game of the WPL 2024. Her bowling figures 4-0-22-5 restricted Warriorz to 155/8 as RCB won the match by two runs.
After dismissing the Warriorz opener Dinesh
Vrinda (18) and the no.3 batter Tahlia McGrath (22) in her second over of the
match, Asha bowled her last over of the game during the 17th over where
Warriorz needed 32 runs in 24 balls and seven wickets were remaining.
Asha’s last over was the game-changing over of
the match as the leg-spinner took three important wickets by dismissing Shweta
Sehrawat (31), Grace Harris (38) and Kiran Navgire (1).
Although Warriorz fought bravely till the end,
RCB won the ultimate battle thanks to the Player of the Match Asha’s incredible
bowling performance (4-0-22-5).
In the inaugural WPL edition (2023), Asha
Sobhana took five wickets in five matches. Although she hasn’t WPL batting
records, she is a good all-rounder.
Who is Asha Sobhana?
Trivandrum-born Asha Sobhana serves for Pondicherry Women in her domestic cricket. Previously, she also served for Kerala Women and Railways Women. She made her senior Kerala team debut at the age of 14. The leg-spinner has also shined as a strong right-handed batter.
According to CricHQ, the leg-spinner Asha has taken 30 Women’s List A wickets in 22 games and 33 Women’s T20 wickets in 24 matches. In her Women’s List A career, Asha has recorded two four-fers and one five-wicket haul.
Meanwhile, her historic five-wicket haul for RCB Women in the second game of the WPL 2024 was her first Women’s T20 five-wicket haul.
Although Asha has scored 84 runs in her Women’s T20 career, including her best score of 15 runs, she has strong batting records in her Women’s List A career. The right-handed batter has scored 486 runs in 20 Women’s List A innings with an average of 28.59 and a strike rate of 60.15. She has recorded two fifties and one century in her Women’s List A career, with her best score of 113 not out.
In the Senior Women’s One Day Trophy 2023/24,
the leg-spinner Asha took 16 wickets in seven matches, including one
four-wicket haul and one five-wicket haul, and finished as the seventh-best
bowler of the tournament. In that same competition, the right-handed batter
scored 225 runs in seven innings (average 32.14 and strike rate 89.28),
including two half-centuries, with her best score of 65 runs.
Special Trivia about Asha Sobhana
Asha Sobhana started her career at the age of
13 as a pacer. But later, her coach was impressed with her leg-spin and guided
her to become an effective leg-spinner.
