Gujarat Giants signed Anushka Sharma for INR 45 Lakh in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 auction on November 27.
Even though the former champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru showed interest in acquiring the young uncapped player, the Giants ultimately secured her services 4.5 times her base price of INR 10 Lakh.
The Madhya Pradesh-born cricketer, sharing her name with the Bollywood’s famous actress and Virat Kohli’s wife, rose to fame with strong performances in domestic cricket. This signing highlights the growing stature of WPL to discover and honor the rising talents.
Who is Anushka Sharma? Brief Stats in Domestic Cricket
Born on April 05, 2003, Anushka Brijmohan Sharma represented several teams in the women’s domestic cricket circuit, which includes:
- Madhya Pradesh
- India C
- Under-19 India B
- Central Zone Women
- India E Women
- Bundelkhand Bulls
As a right-handed batter and part-time off-spinner, she grabbed the attention of WPL franchises with her impressive athletic abilities in domestic cricket.
Considering her stats in domestic ODI cricket, she averaged around 63 in every match, striking boundaries per 10 balls, and bagging wickets every 27 balls. In women’s domestic T20 cricket, she holds an average upto 21.8 per game and took wickets every 18 balls.
Throughout her cricket career, she compiled 4,000+ runs across different formats and proved her worth as a consistent middle and lower-order batter.
Standout Performances of Anushka Sharma Scores in Women’s Domestic Cricket 2025
Anushka Sharma was a standout performer for her team in the recent Senior Women’s Interzonal trophy, where she compiled 155 runs for Central Zone. Also, she was the key contributor, having proved her flexibility when batted at the top, middle, and lower order for Madhya Pradesh in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy this year.
Let’s take a look at her individual scores against different teams throughout these two tournaments:
Senior Women’s Interzonal Trophy 2025
Anushka Sharma compiled 155 runs for Central Zone in 4 matches of the Senior Women’s Interzonal Trophy 2025. She played one of her career best knocks against West Zone, scoring 80 runs off 58 balls (including 7 fours and 4 sixes) when batted at No.3 position.
| Opponent Team | Runs Scored | Balls Faced | 4s | 6s | Strike Rate |
| East Zone | 20 Runs | 18 Balls | 1 Four | 1 Six | 111.11 |
| South Zone | 12 Runs | 9 Balls | 1 Four | – | 133.33 |
| North Zone | 43 Runs | 39 Balls | 7 Fours | – | 110.25 |
| West Zone | 80 Runs | 58 Balls | 7 Fours | 4 Sixes | 137.93 |
Senior Women’s T20 Trophy 2025
Here is how Anushka Sharma compiled 207 runs in 9 matches for Madhya Pradesh this season, which includes her standout performance against Maharashtra, having scored an unbeaten 48-run knock:
| Opponent Team | Runs Scored | Balls Faced | 4s | 6s | Strike Rate |
| Bengal | 19 Runs | 20 Balls | 3 Fours | 0 | 95 |
| Maharashtra | 48 Runs (not out) | 51 Balls | 7 Fours | 0 | 94.11 |
| Saurashtra | 16 Runs | 23 Balls | 2 Fours | 0 | 69.56 |
| Punjab | 38 Runs | 38 Balls | 6 Fours | 0 | 100 |
| Tamil Nadu | 20 Runs | 15 Balls | 3 Fours | 0 | 133.33 |
| Rajasthan | 27 Runs | 28 Balls | 5 Fours | 0 | 96.42 |
| Pondicherry | 19 Runs | 18 Balls | 4 Fours | 0 | 105.55 |
| Karnataka | 0 | 2 Balls | – | – | – |
| Maharashtra (Final Match) | 20 Runs | 15 Balls | 2 Fours | 1 Six | 133.33 |
Can Anushka Sharma Fit Perfectly into Gujarat Giants’ Plans for WPL 2026?
As Gujarat Giants have reworked to revamp their squad structure after the WPL 2026 mega auction, Anushka Sharma’s inclusion opens up a new dimension to the batting line-up. Her fearless approach with the bat and ability to adapt according to varying situations of the match make her a perfect choice for the Giants.
Also, her handy contributions as an off-spinner add value to the spin bowling department as well.
Having retained only two overseas players ahead of the auction, Gujarat’s intent to win their maiden WPL trophy is clearly evident. With Anushka’s entry into the squad, the franchise has obviously found a future star of Indian cricket.
Final Thoughts
Gujarat Giants has shown faith in young talents like Kim Garth, Kashvee Gautam, Bharti Fulmali, Tanuja Kanwer, and several others. Also, Sophie Devine is likely to become the next captain for the Giants as she turned out to be the most expensive buy for the franchise in the auction, worth INR 2 crore.
Also, the franchise has backed uncapped Indian players like Anushka Sharma, given her solid record in women’s domestic cricket.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru might be disappointed to have missed out on the 22-year-old, aggressive batter. But the 2024 edition champions have managed to add firepower to their batting line-up with the likes of Nadine de Klerk, Ellyse Perry, Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, Georgia Voll, and Grace Harris.
As Gujarat Giants build a promising roster of experienced and local talents, the expectations are set high to have a fresh start to their WPL journey in 2026.