Saika Ishaque (born 8 October 1995) is an Indian

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

er who currently plays for

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

and

Mumbai Indians The Mumbai Indians are a professional Twenty20, Twenty20 cricket team based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, that competes in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Indians were founded in 2008 and are owned by India's largest Conglomerate (company), co ...

. She plays as a

slow left-arm orthodox Left-arm orthodox spin or left-arm off spin, also known as slow left-arm orthodox spin bowling, is a type of spin bowling in cricket. Bowlers using this technique bowl with their left-arm and a finger spin action. Their normal delivery spins ...

bowler and left-handed batter.

Domestic career

Ishaque made her debut for Bengal Women in 2013 and has been a regular member of the team since then. In October 2022, she represented

in the Women's Senior T20 Trophy. The following month, she played in the Women's T20 Challenger Trophy, where she was part of the India A team. In the inaugural Women's Premier League auction in February 2023, Ishaque was purchased by

for 10 lakhs. In her debut season for Mumbai Indians, Ishaque emerged as one of the top performers in the tournament, taking 9 wickets in 8 matches at an economy rate of 5.80. She played a key role in Mumbai Indians' journey to the final, which they won against Delhi Capitals to become the inaugural WPL champions. She was the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament.

International career

In December 2023, Ishaque got her maiden international call up for India on her selection for the England and Australia series. She made her

Twenty20 International Twenty20 International (T20I) is a form of Twenty20 cricket, in which each team plays a single innings with a maximum of twenty overs. The matches are played between international teams recognized by the International Cricket Council (ICC). ...

T20I debut against England on 6 December 2023. In December 2023, Ishaque was selected in India's ODI and T20I series against Australia. In May 2024, she was named in India's Test squad for the series against South Africa.

Personal life

Ishaque grew up in a slum in Kolkata and started playing cricket at a young age. Her father, who passed away when she was just 12 years old, was a big inspiration for her and she dedicated her performance in the Women's T20 Challenge to him.

References

External links

* *
Saika Ishaque
at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ishaque, Saika 1995 births Living people Cricketers from Kolkata Sportswomen from Kolkata Indian women cricketers India women One Day International cricketers India women Twenty20 International cricketers Bengal women cricketers Mumbai Indians (WPL) cricketers