WPL 2023: Know all about Saika Ishaque, MI bowler who took 4 wickets against GG

Mumbai Indians on Saturday defeated Gujarat Giants in the first match of the inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL). Mumbai defeated Gujarat by a huge margin of 143 runs, thanks to some brilliant performances from Harmanpreet Kaur and Saika Ishaque.

While Harmanpreet powered Mumbai to over 200 runs with the bat, Ishaque did the job with the ball, picking up four wickets for just 11 runs in 3.1 overs. Ishaque emerged as the standout performer in the match, helping Mumbai win their first match of the tournament. 

Who is Saika Ishaque?

Ishaque is a 27-year-old player from Bengal, specialising in left-arm spin. She began her cricket journey at Kalighat Club Women, where she honed her skills and progressed to represent the state team in both U-19 and U-23 tournaments. Since then, she has been a crucial member of the senior Bengal state squad, featuring regularly in the Senior Women's ODI Championship.

Recently, in 2021 and 2022, she had the opportunity to represent India Women -D and India Women-A teams, respectively, where she had a few notable performances.

Apart from her impressive bowling, Ishaque showcased her batting prowess in a match against India C on December 24, 2021. She scored an unbeaten 24 off just a few balls, hitting five fours. Throughout the tournament, she was only dismissed once, and unfortunately, it was in the final when she was out for a golden duck.

In 2022, she represented India A and had the opportunity to play for the Trailblazers in the Women's T20 Challenge series. This gave her the chance to rub shoulders with some of the biggest names in international women's cricket.

Apart from Ishaque, Nat Sciver-Brunt of England and New Zealand's Amelia Kerr also performed well with the ball, picking up two wickets each to their names.

Issy Wong also contributed with one wicket in the match. Mumbai Indians are currently on top of the points table thanks to the huge win in their opening match of the tournament. It will be important for Mumbai Indians to maintain their form in order to make it to the latter stages of WPL 2023.  

Image: Twitter/WPL