Harmanpreet only Indian player to get picked in WBBL overseas draft
Melbourne (PTI): Women's team captain Harmanpreet Kaur was the only Indian player to get picked in the WBBL overseas draft, being retained by Melbourne Renegades here on Sunday.
A total of 18 Indian players, including Yastika Bhatia, Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma, among other figured in the inaugural Women's Big Bash League overseas draft but just one -- Harmanpreet -- got picked.
Placed in the platinum category, Harmanpreet was retained by the Renegades along with Hayley Matthews of the West Indies.
Harmanpreet performed remarkably for the Renegades during the 2021-22 season, scoring 406 runs in 12 innings at an average of 58.00 and a strike rate of 130.96, including three half-centuries and a top score of 81 not out.
She was also effective with the ball, taking 15 wickets at an economy of 7.45, with best figures of 3 for 22.
Harmanpreet had made her WBBL debut with Sydney Thunder in 2016-17.
Speaking on Harmanpreet's retention, Renegades head coach Simon Helmot stated, "I'm so pleased we got both of them (Harmanpreet and Hayley) and I'm looking forward to them working with us again this year.
"It was a tough decision -- do we go Harmanpreet at pick three, or do we go Hayley? Fortunately, it worked out for us that Harmanpreet was still available in the second round, so we could still get her as a Platinum pick."
Harmanpreet's long list of domestic franchise T20 teams include Lancashire Thunder, Supernovas, Manchester Originals and Trent Rockets (The Hundred) and Mumbai Indians (Women's Premier League).
The WBBL overseas draft also included Indian players such as Harleen Deol, Hurley Gala, Richa Ghosh, Mannat Kashyap, Amanjot Kaur, Veda Krishnamurthy, Shikha Pandey, Shreyanka Patil, Sneh Rana, Meghana Sabbineni, Meghna Singh, Renuka Thakur, Pooja Vastrakar and Radha Yadav.
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Ramadan, Lent coincide this year, happens once in three decades: How it happens, when it will occur
This year, Ramadan and Lent are reportedly being observed during the same period, a calendar overlap that happens only once in roughly 30 to 33 years.
According to a post by ‘That Dubai Page’ on Instagram both are important periods of fasting in Islam and Christianity respectively, but they follow different calendars, which is why their dates usually do not align.
What is Lent?
Lent is a 40-day period in the Christian liturgical calendar observed before Easter.
It is marked by fasting, prayer, repentance and self-examination.
The duration of 40 days reflects the time Jesus is believed to have fasted in the wilderness. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends before Easter Sunday, and the feast mass is celebrated on Saturday.
The exact dates change every year because they are linked to Easter, which is calculated based on the Christian liturgical calendar.
What is Ramadan?
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar and is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer and spiritual discipline. From dawn to sunset each day, adult and able-bodied Muslims abstain from food and drink. The fast is broken at sunset.
Unlike Lent, Ramadan does not follow the Gregorian calendar.
According to admiddleeast.com , Ramadan depends on the sighting of the new crescent moon, known as the hilāl, which signals the start of the new lunar month.
Religious committees in many Muslim-majority countries meet after sunset on the 29th day of the preceding month, Sha‘ban, to look for the moon.
If it is sighted, Ramadan begins the next day. If not, Sha‘ban is completed as a 30-day month and Ramadan starts after that.
While Saudi Arabias announcement is widely followed, each country makes its own official declaration.
Why dont they always overlap?
The Islamic lunar calendar has around 354 days, which is about 10 to 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar.
Because of this difference, Ramadan shifts earlier by about 10 or 11 days each year. Over time, it moves through all seasons.
Lent, on the other hand, is tied to Easter and the Christian liturgical calendar. Since the two religious observances are based on different systems for calculating dates, they rarely fall at the same time.
How often does the overlap happen?
The overlap happens in cycles of approximately 30 to 33 years. When it happens, Ramadan and Lent may coincide for a few consecutive years. After that, they do not align again for decades.
Following the current cycle, major overlaps are not expected again until the 2050s.
