Melbourne Renegades' Harmanpreet Kaur, who made it to the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) team of the season, became the first Indian to be named as the WBBL Player of the Tournament in the ongoing edition.
Harmanpreet, India's T20I captain, put up a great all-round show in the ongoing season as she scored 399 runs and picked 15 wickets. On the other hand, Phoebe Litchfield was named WBBL 'Young Gun' as the best player under the age of 21.
"I'm extremely delighted, it's something very big that I have achieved. I'm very thankful to my team and all the support staff, they have been great during this time and have supported me a lot. It's been totally a team effort -- I was just doing the job the team required from me," Harmanpreet said in a release.
"We have a team that has gelled together. We support each other and that's what we have been doing. I haven't put any extra pressure on myself, I've just enjoyed being here and supporting my teammates," she added.
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As reported by ANI, Harmanpreet was voted as the top player by the standing umpires at each match, polling 31 votes to finish three ahead of Perth Scorchers pair Beth Mooney and Sophie Devine on 28 votes each.
Grace Harris (25 votes) and Georgia Redmayne (24 votes), both of the Brisbane Heat, and Hurricanes batter Mignon du Preez (24 votes) round out the top six.
The Indian T20 star cricketer is the third overseas player to be named for the honor after New Zealand duo Devine (twice) and Amy Satterthwaite. Australian cricketers Mooney, Meg Lanning, and Ellyse Perry are the other previous winners.
Litchfield, the WBBL 'Young Gun', scored 263 runs in the tournament and she was happy to be acknowledged for her effort. "It means a lot to be recognized with this award. It's a surprise, to be honest. I could think of a number of other young players who would be deserving of this award, which is really exciting for the future," she said.
"Batting at No. 3 was a challenge but also a great opportunity. I was very privileged that Trevor Griffin trusted me with that spot and I hope I made the most of it," she added.
Previous winners of the award are Darcie Brown, Hannah Darlington, Georgia Wareham, Sophie Molineux, Ashleigh Gardner, and Lauren Cheatle.
(With ANI Inputs)
