Mumbai. India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana became the highest-paid player at the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction here on Monday as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) outbid Mumbai Indians for Rs 3.40 crore (Rs 410,000). Dollars).
Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur was bought by Mumbai Indians for Rs 1.80 crore, half the amount of much cheaper Mandhana. He is not even Mumbai’s costliest player as the team bought England’s Nat Sciver Brunt for the highest amount of Rs 3.20 crore. In fact, Harmanpreet is not even in the top six among Indian players as the country’s second most expensive Indian player is all-rounder Deepti Sharma, who was bought by UP Warriors for Rs 2.6 crore.
Join us in welcoming the first Royal Challenger, Smriti Mandhana!
Welcome to RCB#playbold #WeAreChallengers #WPL2023 #WPLAuction pic.twitter.com/7q9j1fb8xj
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) February 13, 2023
Young Shafali Verma, known for her fast batting, and Jemimah Rodrigues, who was the star of the World T20 match against Pakistan on Sunday, were bought by Delhi Capitals for Rs 2 and 2.20 crore respectively. All-rounders Pooja Vastrakar (Mumbai Indians) and Richa Ghosh (RCB) also got Rs 1.90 crore each. Jemima and Richa benefited greatly from their win against Pakistan on Sunday. Yastika Bhatia was bought by Mumbai Indians for Rs 1.50 crore while Renuka was bought by RCB for the same amount. The best deal for Delhi Capitals was the signing of one of the finest players in contemporary women’s cricket, Meg Lanning of Australia for Rs 1.10 crore.
RCB Director of Cricket Mike Hesson told the media after buying his favorite players, “Everyone knows Mandhana and Ellyse Perry, we were determined to get some players. We are very happy to have bought such wonderful players. The inclusion of Mandhana, Parry and Sophie Devine in the team was a dream result.
“Smriti has a lot of captaincy experience and is very familiar with Indian conditions, so there is every possibility (that she will be the captain),” he added. Mandhana was watching the auction with her team. He said, “We have been watching the auction of male players as well. It is a big moment for women players to have an auction like this. This whole process is very rigorous. The legacy of RCB is huge and their fan base is huge too. Let’s hope we can make a big team.”
Dipti said, “We were waiting for this opportunity. I am from Uttar Pradesh so it is a great feeling to be selected for my state team. I would like to contribute as much as possible for UP Warriors.”
In the first round of the auction, Australian off-spin all-rounder Ashley Gardner was bought by Gautam Adani’s Gujarat Giants for Rs 3.20 crore ($386,000). Gardner and Nate Skriver were the highest paid overseas players. Australia’s star all-rounder Ellyse Perry was sold for Rs 1.70 crore ($205,000) which was won by RCB.
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RCB roped in New Zealand captain Sophie Devine for a cheap ‘base price’ of Rs 50 lakh. RCB spent Rs 7.10 crore on four players out of the Rs 12 crore ‘purse’, leaving them with Rs 4.90 crore to buy 11 players for the rest of the squad (mandatory 15 players). A team can have a maximum of 18 players.
UP Warriors spent Rs 1.80 crore to buy England left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone. The five possible captains are Mandhana (RCB), Harmanpreet (Mumbai Indians), Lanning (Delhi Capitals), Beth Mooney (Gujarat Giants) and Deepti Sharma (UP Warriors). Sri Lanka captain Chamari Atapattu, England captain Heather Knight and South African batswoman Laura Wolvaardt are the big names who are yet to find a buyer. (agency)