**Yet Another Kiran Navgire Blitzkrieg**
On October 17, Kiran Navgire blasted the fastest hundred in women’s T20 cricket, reaching the milestone off only 34 balls. Scoring a hundred in a chase of just 111 runs is a near-improbable task, but Navgire did exactly that. She finished unbeaten on 106 from 35 balls as Maharashtra wrapped up the chase in only eight overs to beat Punjab convincingly.
Just eight days later, Navgire once again impressed with a 42-ball 96 not out, guiding Maharashtra to chase down a target of 159 against Mumbai with 29 balls to spare. The Mumbai attack featured international bowlers like Sayali Satghare and Saima Thakor, yet Navgire’s dominance was undeniable.
Maharashtra went on to win their first-ever senior women’s T20 title by defeating Madhya Pradesh in the final. Navgire finished the tournament with a staggering 233 runs at a strike rate of 235. For perspective, the only batter with a strike rate over 150 while scoring 200-plus runs in the tournament was Shafali Verma, who amassed 341 runs at a strike rate of 182 and was subsequently called up to India’s World Cup squad, making the playing XI after Pratika Rawal’s injury.
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**Interview Highlight: Kiran Navgire**
> *“I wanted to be different so that people would notice me.”*
Selected for West Zone in the Senior Women’s Inter-Zonal Trophy, Navgire continued her fine form by hitting a 58-ball 112, including 13 fours and six sixes. After North East Zone captain Debasmita Dutta won the toss and opted to field, Navgire’s innings helped West Zone amass a formidable 201 for 4.
West Zone captain Anuja Patil also contributed with a quickfire 28-ball 44 not out, setting a challenging total. However, the North East Zone’s response never gathered momentum, finishing on 75 for 8, with Satghare (2-13) and Patil (2-13) sharing four wickets between them.
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**Who is Kiran Navgire?**
Kiran Navgire has been turning heads for some time now. In the 2021/22 season, while playing for Nagaland, she smashed a 76-ball 162 not out against Arunachal Pradesh — the first 150-plus score in T20 cricket by an Indian, male or female. That innings remains the third-highest individual score in women’s T20 cricket. Impressively, her tally of 16 sixes in that innings is still four clear of anyone else’s record.
The following season, she continued to dominate with an 88-ball 154 in a 50-over match against Chandigarh.
Currently, Navgire plays for the UP Warriorz in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) and was part of the Indian squad that won the 2022 Asia Cup. She has played six T20 Internationals to date, with her last appearance coming during that tournament.
Kiran Navgire’s explosive batting and record-breaking feats are making her one of the most exciting talents in Indian women’s cricket, and her journey is definitely one to watch.
https://www.wisden.com/cricket-news/106-35-96-42-112-58-dropped-india-batter-kiran-navgire-continues-record-breaking-t20-season
