Nandni Sharma

Nandni Sharma is a 24-year-old right-arm fast-medium bowler who has recently emerged as a primary fast-bowling talent in Indian women's cricket. Born on September 20, 2001, in Chandigarh, she began her cricketing journey at the age of nine, training at the LIC Cricket Academy in her home city. Her early development was guided by coaches, including Sukhwinder Bawa, the mentor of Yuvraj Singh, who helped her refine a bowling style characterized by genuine pace, steep bounce, and precise yorkers.

Before reaching the national stage, Sharma progressed through the ranks of Punjab's junior and senior teams before captaining the Chandigarh senior women's side in 2025. Her consistency in domestic and inter-zonal tournaments for North Zone earned her a spot in the Under-23 Emerging National Camp at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), where she caught the eye of professional scouts. Despite early setbacks, including being overlooked in initial franchise auctions and serving as a net bowler for other teams, she maintained her discipline and was eventually signed by the Delhi Capitals for ₹20 lakh ahead of the 2026 season.

The 2026 Women's Premier League (WPL) served as Sharma’s definitive breakthrough platform. In just her second match, against the Gujarat Giants on January 11, she became the first player in WPL history to record both a five-wicket haul and a hat-trick in the same game, finishing with figures of 5/33. Her historic hat-trick sequence included the wickets of Kanika Ahuja, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, and Renuka Singh Thakur. By the conclusion of the tournament, she had claimed 17 wickets in 10 matches, the joint-highest tally for the season, and was honored as the WPL Emerging Player of the Season.

Nandni Sharma's rapid ascent has culminated in her first call-up to the senior Indian national team for the 2026 ICC Women's T20 World Cup in England and Wales. This selection followed a period of resilience where she successfully rehabilitated from a hand webbing injury that had sidelined her during an India A tour earlier in the year. Beyond the shortest format, she has also been named in the squad for the historic one-off Test match at Lord’s scheduled for July 2026.