Speed queen

WPL Speed Queen: As all five franchises gear up to put their best foot forward in the quest of winning the 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL), scores of female fast bowlers in U19 and U23 categories have been busy giving trials in the Delhi-NCR region under the ‘WPL Speed Queen’ initiative.

The premise of the initiative by the WPL and BCCI is simple – unearth the hidden female fast‑bowling talent in U-19 and U-23 age groups in India. It began on January 5, with trials in Delhi-NCR region happening till Sunday, and is set to travel through Lucknow, Gujarat, Bengaluru and Mumbai zones. It aims to address one of the most critical gaps in Indian women's cricket – that of having a pool of pacers.

The numbers tell a stark story. In the 2025/26 Senior Women's Elite T20 Trophy, all top ten wicket-takers were spinners. In the Women's U-19 T20 Trophy Elite, all five leading wicket-takers were spinners. Even in the Women's U-23 T20 Trophy Elite, two of the three highest wicket-takers were spinners. Since 2023, only six pacers and all-rounders have made their India debuts across formats, which is half the number of debutant spinners.