Tanuja Kanwar is an Indian cricketer. She is an all-rounder and played for Gujarat Giants in the inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League.
Tanuja Kanwar Bio
Tanuja P Kanwar was born on Wednesday, 28 January 1998 (age 25 years; as of 2023) in Theog, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. She was interested in sports from an early age and used to play gully cricket with the boys in her locality till 2011.
Tanuja was about 15 years old when her father enrolled her at the HCC Academy in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh. In an interview, she revealed that her dad was instrumental in shaping her career. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Hindu College Amritsar, Dhab Khatikan, Amritsar, Punjab.
Physical Stats
| Weight | 55 Kg |
| Height | 5′ 5″ |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Eyes Colour | Black |
Family
She belongs to a middle-class family in Theog, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh.
Her parents’ names are not known. Her brother’s name is Mohit Thakur.
Cricket
Tanuja Kanwar has represented Himachal Pradesh Women, India B Women, Central Zone Women, India U-19, India Red Women, India Women Emerging, Indian Board President’s Women XI, Railways Women, and India A at the domestic level.
In 2011, she joined the HCC Academy in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh; later in the same year, she was selected for the state U-19 team. In 2012, she was selected for the state senior women’s team following her consistent performances with the U-19 team. In 2014, she took two wickets against the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) U-19 team. Tanuja enjoyed a stellar campaign in the 2016-2017 Senior Women’s One Day League.
Himachal Pradesh Women’s team was promoted from the Plate Group after defeating Uttar Pradesh Women in the final. She was the leading wicket-taker with 17 wickets from four matches including the four-wicket haul against Karnataka Women in the semi-final and a three-wicket haul against Uttar Pradesh Women in the final.
In 2017, she was part of the Himachal Pradesh U-23 Women’s squad, which participated in the Under-23 North Zone Women’s Cricket Championship. In the final, she took seven wickets against Jammu & Kashmir, as Himachal won by 266 runs; she was the leading wicket-taker with 15 wickets from four matches.
In November 2017, she was appointed the vice-captain of the Himachal Pradesh Women. In 2017, she was named to the India A T20I squad for the Bangladesh Women’s A tour of India. In March 2018, she was included in the India A Women’s squad for the Australia Women’s tour of India; she took one wicket from two matches.
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She finished the tournament with 7 wickets including the three-wicket haul against the Sri Lanka Women’s Emerging team and was the second-highest wicket-taker of the tournament behind Devika Vaidya.
She was also part of the Railways Women’s team that won the 2021-2022 Women’s Senior T20 Trophy.
On 7 February 2023, she achieved a three-wicket haul and helped Railways Women retain their title against Karnataka in the 2022-2023 Women’s Senior One-Day Trophy final; she was named Player of the Match.
She was part of the Central Zone women’s team, which won the inaugural edition of the Women’s Senior Inter Zonal T20.
In 2023, during the auctions of the inaugural Women’s Premier League, Tanuja Kanwar was purchased by the Gujarat Giants. Her base price was Rs. 10 Lakhs and she became the most expensive uncapped domestic player in the Women’s Premier League when she was signed by the Gujarat Giants for Rs. 50 Lakhs. Royal Challengers Bangalore were also keen to land her and even raised their offer to Rs. 45 Lakhs; however, they withdrew from the bidding for her after Gujarat Giants raised their offer price to Rs. 50 Lakhs.
Facts
- Her name is also spelt as Tanuja Kanwer.
- In an interview, she talked about her interest in films and said that she preferred watching South Indian films over Bollywood films.
- Tanuja Kanwar started playing cricket as a medium-pacer and later changed her style to spin bowling following the advice of her coach, Pawan, at the HCC Academy in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh.
- In an interview, she pointed out that the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) played a huge role in building her career and added that the organisation was highly supportive of its players.