Harmanpreet Kaur becomes first Indian woman to join Big Bash, signs with Sydney Thunder

Harmanpreet Kaur became the first India female cricketer to be signed by an overseas Twenty20 league, with defending champions of the Women’s Big Bash League, Sydney Thunder, confirming the signing of the national team vice-captain on Sunday. After the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) passed a landmark decision to allow its female cricketers to participate in foreign leagues, Harmanpreet had said she would be joining Thunder, and was awaiting a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Indian board. [caption id=“attachment_2926474” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File photo of Harmanpreet Kaur. Getty[/caption] “We are delighted to secure a player of the calibre of Harmanpreet,” said Sydney Thunder General Manager Nick Cummins in a statement on their official website. “She was on the top of our target list, and we are very pleased that the BCCI has released her to play in Australia. “Sydney Thunder prides itself on being an innovator in Australian cricket, so it is a real fillip for the club to have signed the first Indian international to play Big Bash cricket in Australia,” he added. Harmanpreet has represented the country in 118 matches across all formats of the game. She has had an impressive year, and her performance against Australia made people take notice of her. She scored a match-winning 31-runs of 46 ball to take India over the victory line in Adelaide. Harmanpreet reportedly received an offer from three teams — including the Sydney Sixers, the runners-up in the inaugural season — before zeroing in on the Thunder. “It’s a great feeling,” said Harmanpreet in the statement, released on the website. “The WBBL is a great platform for women’s cricketers, being the first player from my country to sign a contract for a BBL club is one of my best moments. My aim is to serve my team to win the WBBL title for the second time in a row. “Playing with the best players against the best players is always a great feeling. I would definitely learn a lot of things from them all,” she added.

Big news #WBBL fans as @BCCI Vice-Captain Harmanpreet Kaur signs for @ThunderWBBL. Story: https://t.co/3UKFASc5ZS pic.twitter.com/EJLFovZgju

— Sydney Thunder (@ThunderBBL) July 30, 2016

BCCI president Anurag Thakur congratulated the Indian on Twitter for her historic signing.

Congrats Harmanpreet Kaur on becoming the 1st Indian women cricketer to be signed fr Women’s Big Bash League (Australia)! @BCCI

— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) July 31, 2016

The 27-year-old all-rounder will aim to capitalise on her big signing and make the most of it when she makes her debut in December in the WBBL.