India’s vice-captain and lead-off batsman Smriti Mandhana described the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction as a great moment for women’s cricket. She assured that exciting times are ahead.
The stylish 26-year-old batsman was the first player to go under the hammer at the 2023 WPL auction in Mumbai. As expected, there were strong bids for it. Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) became involved in an intense fight. Ultimately, Mandhana was sold to RCB for ₹3.4 crore.
Sharing her thoughts after being bought for a large sum at WPL’s inaugural auction, the left-handed hitter told JioCinema and Sports18:
“I think in the last ten years we’ve been looking at auctions for men and it was just amazing because I’m always glued to the auctions for men when they used to happen. It’s a great time for women’s cricket for us too.” have such an auction.
“I think this is history, first the WPL announcement and then this auction. I think it’s all exciting and I say it’s an exciting time ahead.”
Having made his international debut in 2013, Mandhana has established himself as one of the biggest names in international cricket. Speaking specifically of his T20I numbers, he has played 112 matches, scoring 2651 runs at an average of 27.32 and a strike rate of 123.13, with 20 half centuries to his name.
“Very excited to be a part of such a great franchise” – Smriti Mandhana on playing for RCB
During the interaction, Mandhana also talked about the feeling of representing an established franchise like RCB. Stating that she is very excited to be a part of the Bangalore women’s team, the star cricketer commented:
“I think the legacy of RCB is very high because this franchise has been around for 10 years for the men’s IPL and they have built a huge fan base. So yeah, I’m very excited to be a part of such a great franchise and hope that we can both build a great team together. I think I’m very excited to be a part of RCB.
“Namaskara Bengaluru” I think that’s how it’s called and I’m also excited to wear the color red and go out and try for the cup. All the fans continue to support us and we will try to have a great tournament”.
Apart from Mandhana, RCB also bought Ellyse Perry (₹1.7 crore), Renuka Singh (₹1.5 crore), Richa Ghosh (₹1.9 crore) and Sophie Devine (₹50 lakh).