For the first time, Mithali Raj, India’s most successful captain, will not be playing in the Women’s Twenty20 Challenge that will begin in Pune from May 23. According to sources, Mithali has opted out of the tournament. “She has requested the All-India Women’s Selection Committee that she should not be considered for this tournament,” informed a source.

Mithali had captained the team Velocity in the previous two editions of the tournament. In her absence, all-rounder Deepthi Sharma will lead the side. Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhan will lead Supernovas and Trailblazers respectively. Since her return from the ODI World Cup in New Zealand (March-April) earlier this year, where India failed to qualify to the semi-finals, Mithali, 39, has played just one match for Railways in the T20 National Championships that concluded recently. Sneha Rana led Railways to the title.