Anushka Sharma, an all-rounder, made an impressive debut in the Women’s Premier League. Anushka made her debut appearance in the cash-rich event during a game between the Gujarat Giants and the UP Warriorz at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai, where she played a significant role in Gujarat’s enormous score.
The 22-year-old’s performance quickly made headlines, as she outplayed Ashleigh Gardner on her way to defeat. She scored 44 runs off just 30 balls, including seven fours and a stunning reverse sweep. Her stint at the crease was also highlighted by a couple of stunning cover drives, both of which raced out to the boundary for fours.
Check the video highlights of Anushka Sharma’s knock here
Classical stuff! 😍
Gujarat Giants’ young batter Anushka Sharma is showcasing her talent with fluent strokeplay on debut! 👏🏻#TATAWPL, #GGvUPW 👉 LIVE NOW ➡️ https://t.co/wB52zoL2TW pic.twitter.com/W9MY1SrWVp
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) January 10, 2026
The 44 runs by Anushka Sharma are the highest by a Gujarat Giants batter on WPL debut, with the previous highest being Dani Gibson’s 34 runs last year.
Before her debut, Sharma had turned heads in domestic cricket, representing Madhya Pradesh, scoring heavily in state and inter-zonal T20 competitions. She was picked up by the Gujarat-based team in the auction for 45 lakhs at the WPL mega auctions.
“To be honest I was a little nervous, but as I played 2-3 balls it went away. It was a great outing, I had great company as well. It was crucial to build a partnership at that time, and Ash (Gardner) were talking about building a partnership, and that went well for our team,” Sharma told broadcasters during the innings break.
“It is more about mindset, how you read situations and react according to that, domestic season obviously helped a lot for me, the preparation also was on point as we have a great staff with us, they helped me so much with the areas where I can execute my boundaries and sixes. It is a very good total on this wicket, and we have a great bowling side,” she added.
Gujarat finished their inning on 207-4 in 20 overs, with the help of Ashleigh Gardner’s stunning 65 runs, and some explosive finish from Georgia Wareham (27* off 10) and Bharti Fulmali (14* off 7).
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