Akshita Bhagat was one of the uncapped faces who got a team on Wednesday during the Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction in Kochi. Bhagat was one of the six uncapped faces picked by Mumbai Indians, who entered the bidding room with just ₹90 lakh in purse.
Bhagat was bought at her base price of ₹10 lakh by the former champions. Other uncapped players bought at the auction by Mumbai Indians were Shweta Sehrawat, Disha Kasat, Latika Inamdar, Bharti Rawal and Sanika Chalke. Twelve of the 25 players sold at the auction were uncapped.
With legendary Jhulan Goswami a part of the coaching staff, and the likes of South African Shabnim Ismail and Australian pacer Nicola Carey in the mix, Punjab pacer Bhagat has gotten into the right place at the right time in her career. Harmanpreet Kaur will lead Mumbai Indians in WPL 2027.
Who is Akshita Bhagat? All you need to know
Born in Ropar, Bhagat grew up in Kurali, a small town in Punjab’s Mohali district. Like many girls pursuing cricket, Bhagat started in the streets along with the boys during her initial days.
It was at the age of 13 that Bhagat realised that she wanted to take cricket professionally. Although her parents weren’t convinced at first, her father eventually enrolled Bhagat at the Chakwal School Cricket Academy, under the guidance of Narinder Rathore.
It was Rathore who realised Bhagat’s potential as a fast bowler, thus focusing on both her batting and bowling. Within three years, Bhagat was in the Punjab U-19 women’s side. The following season in 2024-25, Bhagat made her List A debut for Punjab women.
A life-changing moment for Akshita Bhagat
However, opportunities were fewer for Bhagat until the WPL Speed Queen initiative arrived. At a time when the Indians lit up WPL 2026, Bhagat, away from the spotlight, honed her skills at WPL Speed Queen – a nationwide fast-bowling talent hunt by the Women’s Premier League to discover and develop the fastest young female pacers across India.
The WPL Speed Queen ran across 23 cities in India in two categories – U19 and U23. Bhagat won the U23 event in Mumbai, with a top speed of 105kph. She was handed the winner’s cheque by India women’s team head coach Amol Muzumdar. That contest changed Bhagat’s life.
Before the WPL Speed Queen, Bhagat played just one List A game and two T20s for Punjab. Post the contest, Bhagat was picked up in the India A squad for the three one-dayers and a four-day match against Australia A, primarily as a bowler.
Bhagat idolises Ellyse Perry and Dale Steyn in bowling and Harmanpreet with the bat. Against Australia A, Bhagat played two one-day games, without any success.
Mumbai Indians WPL 2027 full squad
Harmanpreet Kaur, Amanjot Kaur, Rahila Firdous, S Sajana, Sanskriti Gupta, Vaishnavi Sharma, Hayley Matthews, Amelia Kerr, Natalie Sciver-Brunt, Nicola Carey, Shabnim Ismail, Tara Norris, Disha Kasat, Latika Inamdar, Bharti Rawal, Sanika Chalke, Shweta Sehrawat, and Akshita Bhagat.
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