Asha Shobana played a pivotal role in guiding RCB to victory as they successfully defended a target of 158 runs. Her outstanding spell was the driving force behind the team’s triumph.
Royal Challengers Bangalore women made a strong start to the second season of the Women’s Premier League 2024 after a lackluster performance in 2023. Their standout game was against UP Warriorz, defending a target of 158 runs. Asha Shobana played a crucial role in their victory, delivering an outstanding spell with five wickets for 22 runs in four overs. This performance restricted Warriorz to 155 runs, securing Bangalore’s win by a narrow two-run margin.
Asha Sobhana Joy, the 32-year-old all-rounder from Kerala, made history by becoming the first Indian bowler to claim a five-wicket haul in two WPL seasons. This remarkable feat occurred in RCB’s opening match against UP Warriorz, earning her the well-deserved Player of the Match award. Bought by the franchise for 10 lakhs in the previous season’s auction, Asha had an impressive record of five wickets in five matches with an economy of 8.35.
Asha’s cricket journey began with the iconic innings of Sachin Tendulkar in Sharjah, inspiring her to pursue a career in the sport. Watching Neetu David bowl in a women’s international game on the Doordarshan channel marked her introduction to women’s cricket.
At the age of 12, Asha attended her first district cricket trials without informing her parents. During the district games, she crossed paths with Shabina Jacob, the former Kerala Women’s cricket team captain, who became a mentor and pivotal figure in her life.
Initially starting as a pacer for Kerala at 13, Asha’s coach observed her bowling leg spin one day and convinced her to transition to that style. Making her senior debut for Kerala at 14, she further honed her skills at the MAC Spin Foundation at 15, where Terry Jenner, Shane Warne’s coach, praised her technique.
Her standout performance in the 2012–13 T20 season earned her a spot in the Railways side, where she played for over a decade. Notably, she contributed to Railways winning the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy in 2019.
Asha continued to excel, finishing as the leading wicket-taker for Puducherry in the Senior Women’s One Day Trophy 2023, securing 16 wickets in seven matches at an impressive average of 11.62, including a 4-fer and a 5-fer.
Very happy that I contributed: Asha Shobana
Following the match, Asha stepped up to share her thoughts on how she played and expressed her joy in contributing to Bangalore’s inaugural victory of the season.
“After a lot of struggle and a lot of hard work, I’m not thinking about my five wickets; we won our first game at our home ground. Very happy that I contributed to the victory and that too at Chinnaswamy,” Asha was quoted as saying by News18.
“I knew the situation would be something like this, and I visualised it. I did a lot of homework, I saw Grace going against the turn, thought if I pull the length back and across, I might get a top-edge or bowled. I was ready to get smashed, but I was sure I would get them,” she added.
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