Shikha Pandey, Punam Raut to clash in Senior Women's Cricket Challenger Trophy

Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh) [India], Jan 2 (ANI): Ahead of their New Zealand tour, all-rounder Shikha Pandey and Punam Raut are set to clash in the Senior Women's Cricket Challenger Trophy here at Devineni Venkata Ramana Praneetha Ground in Mulapadu on Thursday.
Veda Krishnamurthy, who has been dropped from both limited-overs squads for the tour, is part of Pandey-led India Red. Priya Punia, who earned her maiden call-up for the T20I squad, will play for Raut-led India Blue in the 50-over match.
The tournament will be devoid of a number of seniors and regulars like ODI captain Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, Jemimah Rodrigues, Taniya Bhatia, Ekta Bisht, and Rajeshwari Gayakwad. The ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year Smriti Mandhana and T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who are playing in the fourth edition of the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL), will also miss out.
India Blue will next meet India Green led by Mona Meshram, who has replaced Veda in the ODI squad, on January 4. India Red and India Green will lock horns on January 5. The finals are slated to take place on January 6.
Following are the squads of India Red, Blue and Green:
India Red: Shikha Pandey (C), N Anusha, Shivi Pandey, Veda Krishnamurthy, Vrushali Bhagat, Jasia Akhter, Jhansi Lakshmi, Komal Zanzad, Shanti Kumari, Radha Yadav, Harleen Deol, R Kalpana (wk), Tarannum Pathan
India Blue: Punam Raut (C), Priya Punia, Tanushree Sarkar, Bharti Fulmali, Aditi Sharma, Tamanna Nigam, Mansi Joshi, Reema Laxmi Ekka, Manali Dakshini, Tanuja Kanwer, G Trisha, Sushma Verma (wk), Minnu Mani
India Green: Mona Meshram (C), D Hemalatha, Shefali Verma, Tejal Hasabnis, Anita Lodhi, Sneh Rana, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, Shubhlaxmi, Devyani Prasad, SB Keerthana, Shweta Verma (wk), Sushree Dibyadarshini. (ANI)