What is WPL Speed Queen? All you need to know about BCCI-led talent hunt

The WPL Speed Queen is an initiative of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Women’s Premier League (WPL) management.

Indian women’s cricket has always lacked quality fast bowlers, right from its initiation. Spinners tend to dominate the game of women’s cricket in India, while there are only a handful of names in fast bowling list, most notably being Jhulan Goswami and Shikha Pandey.

Spinners made up the top ten wicket-takers in the 2025–2026 Senior Women’s Elite T20 Trophy. Spinners also dominated the top ranks in the Women’s U-19 T20 Trophy Elite and Women’s U-23 T20 Trophy Elite. Six pacers and all-rounders have made their debut for India in all formats since 2023, which is half as many as debutant spinners.

With significant worldwide competitions on the horizon, like the forthcoming T20I World Cup 2026 in England, India’s pace depth must be expanded urgently.

And that is why the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Women’s Premier League (WPL) management decided to embark on a talent hunt competition to unearth the fastest female bowlers across the country to build up a good bench for the Indian women’s cricket team.

Named the ‘WPL Speed Queen’, the initiative is open to Under-19 and Under-23 female bowlers, providing them with a national platform to demonstrate their abilities. Registration is straightforward and open to everybody; players can sign up online and upload a bowling video in accordance with the stated requirements.

WPL Speed Queen: BCCI’s initiative to hunt for next best women pacers in India

What distinguishes this project is its AI-powered screening system, which assesses videos for speed, action, and promise before directing shortlisted entries to professional coaches for assessment. This assures a fair and objective initial stage, particularly for players from smaller towns who are often underrepresented.

Shortlisted bowlers will subsequently be invited to zone-based trials, where they will bowl in real situations under professional supervision.

The trials are dispersed throughout five zones involving 25 cities, ensuring that the process is truly inclusive and pan-India. The schedule begins with the Delhi Zone on January 5-11, followed by Lucknow (January 12-16), Ahmedabad (January 17-21), Bengaluru (January 22-25), and Mumbai (January 26-30).

There are pacers in the mix, including Titas Sadhu, Pooja Vastrakar, Sayali Satghare, Saima Thakor, and Kashvee Gautam. But injuries and inconsistency have prevented them from cementing their places in the senior set-up.

This draws attention to a persistent problem with India’s women’s cricket system. There is only a limited pipeline for spotting and developing quick bowlers. In light of this, the “WPL Speed Queen” program may be a crucial first step in closing a long-standing gap and strengthening pace-bowling depth.

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