Poonam Khemnar

A promising all-rounder, Poonam Khemnar, Maharashtra, India, is a right-handed batter and leg spinner. She has represented the Maharashtra team in the Ranji and is a well-known all-rounder. In addition, she also played as a guest player for the Nagaland team in the 2021-22 edition of the Women's Senior One Day Trophy.

The 28-year-old used to play cricket with boys at an early age, but her parents restricted her from playing with the boys as she grew up. Furthermore, she got beaten several times for playing with the boys.

One day, the Maharashtra-born accidentally offered to face some deliveries from neighboring boys, marking the journey's beginning. This marks the beginning of the leggie's journey into professional cricket, where she is already impressing and gaining recognition with her leg-break balls. 

After years of hard work, Poonam Khemnar's dedication to cricket paid off when she was roped in by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for her base price of INR 10 lakhs at the Women's Premier League (WPL) auction in February 2023. She will share the dressing room with stars like Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, and Sophie Devine. 

In the Women's Senior One Day Trophy season 2021-22, the leggie impressed everyone with her cricketing skills, notching 194 runs and taking 10 wickets in six matches. She was awarded the player of the match title in the game against Manipur Women for her masterclass century with the bat and two wickets with the ball.

As of February 2023