New Delhi, Jul 12 (IANS): Ahead of the 2024 Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL), legendary India fast-bowler Jhulan Goswami joins Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) as mentor. Jhulan picked 355 wickets across formats in an illustrious career for India before retiring in 2022.
“It’s an honour to join such a quality franchise. They have done so well in India and around the world. To join TKR Women at the WCPL is a pleasure. Thanks to KKR management for thinking about me as a mentor and I’m really looking forward to participating in this tournament.”
“Meeting King Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) is always special. His passion and support for Knight Riders is genuinely incredible. The main conversation of me joining TKR Women started with Venky Sir (Venky Mysore).”
“As a management head, the way he takes care of everyone is amazing. I felt really honoured by the way both welcomed me and spoke to me. It was really special meeting both Shahrukh sir and Venky sir,” said Jhulan to the TKR website.
The side recently roped in India duo of Jemimah Rodrigues and Shikha Pandey, as well as multiple World Cups-winning Australian players Meg Lanning and Jess Jonassen in its squad for the upcoming season.
“Jhulan Goswami is an absolute legend of the game, and we are very happy to have her on board as the mentor of the TKR Women’s team. TKR is a very proud unit, with five championship titles between the men’s and women’s teams over the last 10 years.”
“We strongly believe that under Jhulan’s mentorship, the team will reach greater heights. It’s a fantastic opportunity for the youngsters to pick Jhulan’s brains and learn from her experiences to become better cricketers themselves. We would like to wish her all the best, and look forward to seeing her in the TKR setup soon,” said Venky Mysore, CEO of the Knight Riders group.
Jhulan had been the mentor for the Bengal women’s team in Indian domestic cricket and is associated with Mumbai Indians in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) as mentor-cum-bowling coach.
TKR Women, captained by Deandra Dottin, will play four league matches (against Barbados Royals and Guyana Amazon Warriors) from August 22, with the final scheduled for August 29 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad. The side will fill its remaining six slots in the 15-member squad via the WCPL Draft in July.
TKR Women’s squad for WCPL 2024: Deandra Dottin (c), Kycia Knight (wk), Shamila Connell, Zaida James, Samara Ramnath, Meg Lanning, Jemimah Rodrigues, Jess Jonassen, Shikha Pandey.