A Look At Women's Asia Cup Player Of The Tournament Award Winners Over The Years

The Player of the Tournament award in the Women's Asia Cup is a prestigious recognition given to the best performer in each edition of the tournament. Since the inaugural Women's Asia Cup in 2004, this award honours the player who has made the most significant impact on her team's performance throughout the Asian competition. The award signifies the increasing importance of women's cricket in Asia and highlights the outstanding individual performance during the tournament. With just 3 days left for the much-awaited 9th edition of the Women's T20 Asia Cup, here's a look at Women's Asia Cup Player of the Tournament award winners over the years.

A look at Women's Asia Cup Player of the Tournament award winners over the years

The much-awaited 9th edition of the Women's T20 Asia Cup 2024 is scheduled to kickstart on July 19, and the entire T20I tournament will be held in Sri Lanka. As many as eight teams will be participating in the upcoming T20I competition. Teams have been divided into two groups, with the likes of India, Nepal, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates as part of Group 1.

At the same time, hosts Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Thailand are placed in Group 2. The Indian women's team will enter this tournament as the defending champions, having won the previous edition of the Women's T20 Asia Cup by defeating the Sri Lanka Women in the final. Here's a look at Women's Asia Cup Player of the Tournament award winners over the years.

1. Anjum Chopra, India (2004)

The inaugural edition of the Asia Cup was held in 2004 and was hosted by Sri Lanka. Only two teams, India and Sri Lanka, participated in a bilateral series format. India dominated Sri Lanka, winning all five matches. Anjum Chopra emerged as the pivotal player for India, winning the Player of the Tournament award for her 88 runs and 2 wickets. Consequently, India secured victory in the inaugural Women's Asia Cup.

2. No Player of the Tournament in (2005)

3. Dedunu Silva, Sri Lanka and Thirush Kamini, India (2006)

The third edition of the Asia Cup was hosted by India and featured three participating teams. The tournament was played in a round-robin format, followed by the final. Sri Lanka and India emerged as the top two teams. They played in the final, where India secured a comfortable victory by 7 wickets to clinch the Asia Cup title once again. Dedunu Silva from Sri Lanka, who scored 163 runs, and Thirush Kamini from India, who delivered an all-round performance with 135 runs and 8 wickets, were named players of the tournament.

4. Rumeli Dhar, India (2008)

The 2008 Women's Asia Cup took place in Sri Lanka, with four teams participating, including India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. The final match was between India and Sri Lanka, and India once again dominated, winning the title for the third consecutive time. India's Rumeli Dhar was named the player of the tournament, scoring 238 runs and taking 8 wickets, contributing significantly to India's victory in the Asia Cup.

5. Bismah Maroof, Pakistan (2012)

The 2012 Women's Asia Cup was hosted by China with the participation of eight teams, marking the first time eight teams competed in the Women's Asia Cup. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Hong Kong, China, and Nepal were part of the cricket tournament. The tournament was played in the T20 format for the first time. However, India successfully retained their title by defeating Pakistan by 18 runs. Bismah Maroof of Pakistan was awarded Player of the Tournament for her exceptional performance, scoring 113 runs and taking 5 wickets to help Pakistan reach the final.

6. Mithali Raj, India (2016)

The sixth edition of the Women's Asia Cup took place in Thailand with six participating teams: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Thailand. India secured their fifth title by defeating Pakistan by 18 runs. Legendary Indian batter Mithali Raj was named the player of the tournament for her exceptional performance, scoring 220 runs throughout the tournament. In the final match, her unbeaten 73 runs off 65 balls helped India secure their fifth Asia Cup title.

7. Harmanpreet Kaur, India (2018)

The 2018 Women's Asia Cup took place in Malaysia, featuring Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand as the six participating teams. India and Bangladesh played in the final match. Bangladesh achieved a historic win by defeating India with 3 wickets. The Player of the Tournament award was given to Harmanpreet Kaur of India, who scored 215 runs and took 5 wickets, helping the Indian team advance to the finals.

8. Deepti Sharma, India (2022)

The 2022 Women's Asia Cup took place in Bangladesh, with India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand as the participating teams. The final match featured India and Sri Lanka, with India showing resilience by defeating Sri Lanka by 8 wickets and reclaiming the Women's Asia Cup title for the sixth time. India's talented all-rounder, Deepti Sharma, was awarded the Player of the Tournament for her exceptional performance. She took 13 wickets and scored 94 runs.