The upcoming Global Power Cricket League (GPCL) has everything in the making to take the cricketing world by storm in its maiden season, due to be held in Delhi from October 2 to October 9, 2022.
The organisers want to leave no stone unturned to attract the fans and, thus, they have signed a number of marquee international cricketers.
One of the marquee players featuring in the inaugural edition of GPCL is none other than India’s 2011 World Cup winner, Munaf Patel, who will lead Indian Sapphires in the T20 tournament.
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Munaf, 39, has a rich experience under his belt, having played 13 Tests, 70 ODIs and 3 T20Is for India. He claimed a total of 125 wickets in international and was instrumental in India’s 2011 World Cup triumph.
The right-arm pacer also turned up in 63 IPL matches and picked 74 wickets. He was part of Rajasthan Royals’ title-winning campaign in 2008. He also played for Mumbai Indians and the now-defunct Gujarat Lions in the cash-rich league.
For a team to do well in any tournament, the captain’s role becomes paramount and being a competitor Munaf Patel would look to prove his mettle as a leader in the GPCL.
Munaf’s former India teammate Yusuf Pathan is also part of the Indian Sapphires squad. Former Afghanistan skipper Gulbadin Naib will also accompany him in the team.
Besides, a host of young players have been signed by the Indian Sapphires team, ensuring that the average age of the squad doesn’t exceed 25 years. The youngsters will certainly get benefitted by playing under Munaf Patel and rubbing shoulders with other veteran campaigners.
For the inaugural GPCL T20, Indian Sapphires are slotted in Pool A alongside English Reds, Scottish Mulberries and American Indigos. They will begin their campaign against American Indigos on October 2.
Indian Sapphires Squad:
Munaf Patel (c), Yusuf Pathan, Gulbadin Naib, Mahesh Rawat (wk), Shiva Singh, Rajbir Singh, Shivam Sharma, Karthik Singh, Uvais Chaudhary, Dinesh Kumar, Vishal Gaur, Shivam Singh, Yogesh Kumar, Niesant Alvares, Asif Mansoori
