Sobhana Asha, Sajana Sajeevan earn maiden India call-ups for T20I series against Bangladesh

Both have been rewarded for their impressive displays in this year's WPL.

The last two months have been like a fairytale for leg-spinner Sobhana Asha. Having almost quit cricket a few months before the inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL) in 2023, she went on to grab eyeballs in the second season as part of the triumphant Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). In 10 matches, the 33-year-old leg-spinner claimed 12 scalps to finish as the tournament's joint-second highest wicket-taker.

Jemimah Rodrigues, who played for DC in WPL, doesn't feature in the 16-member squad(BCCI)

A month since that high, Asha has been named in the India women's team for a five-match T20 series against Bangladesh in Sylhet starting April 28. Asha made an immediate during this year's WPL, picking up a fifer against UP Warriorz at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru in the first game of the season. It paved the way for Asha to have an impactful season as captain Smriti Mandhana reposed faith in the spinner. In the final against Delhi Capitals (DC) too, Asha left her mark by claiming the wickets of Marizanne Kapp and Jess Jonassen while conceding just 14 runs in three overs. If she is able to make an impression in these matches, she is likely to be in the fray for the T20 Women's World Cup to be held in Bangladesh in September.

Sajana Sajeevan, 29, has also got a maiden national call-up for the T20 series after she impressed for Mumbai Indians in WPL. Sajana is an all-rounder who is a regular in the Kerala team. Sajana's exploits in WPL included a sensational first-ball six in a final-ball thriller against eventual finalists Delhi Capitals in the opening game of the campaign. Sajana, who hails from Wayanad, also bowls off-spin.

Meanwhile, Jemimah Rodrigues, who played for DC in WPL, doesn't feature in the 16-member squad.

D Hemalatha and Radha Yadav make a comeback in the T20 team in place of Minnu Mani and Mannat Kashyap. Hemalatha last represented India in the 2022 Asia Cup final in Bangladesh while Yadav had been on the sidelines since India's semi-final exit at the 2023 T20 World Cup in South Africa. The series =in Bangladesh will serve as preparation for the T20 World Cup.

Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Dayalan Hemalatha, Sajana Sajeevan, Richa Ghosh (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Radha Yadav, Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Amanjot Kaur, Shreyanka Patil, Saika Ishaque, Asha Sobhana, Renuka Singh Thakur, Titas Sadhu.