Women's Premier League 2024

Smriti Mandhana speaks her heart out after getting sold to Bangalore for 3.4 crores

The Indian Cricket Board’s second brainchild, the Women’s T20 League, is underway with the auction ahead of the tournament. Every team in the tournament has 12 million dollars to build their team to challenge for the coveted trophy.

The auction is underway in the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai. Indian cricketer, Smriti Mandhana has become the most expensive player at the auction. She was sold to the Bangalore franchise for a massive sum of 3.4 crores.

The Indian left-handed batter, Smriti Mandhana was the first player to be auctioned in front of the five franchises. The Bengaluru outfit and the Mumbai outfit went loggerheads to secure the services of the Indian international. However, the M Chinnaswamy Stadium-based franchise had the last laugh in the bidding war.

The Bengaluru outfit signed Smriti Mandhana for a whopping INR 3.4 crores. Thrilled by the auction dynamics, the player spoke about how she used to feel while the men’s auction used to take place. The 26-year-old was happy to be the part of the historic moment.

“I was always glued to auctions of men’s whenever it used to happen. And it’s such a big moment for women’s cricket too, for us to have an auction of this sort. So really, I think this is just a history of firstly announcement of WPL and then the definitely this auction.”

Talking to the sports outlet, the player displayed immense pride in being a part of the Bengaluru outfit. She also spoke highly about winning the trophy that the men’s team has struggled to win in the last fifteen editions. Smriti Mandhana asked the fans to rally behind the team.

“I’m really excited, to be part of RCB. And really excited to be wearing the red color and, going out trying to get the cup. All the fans keep supporting us. We’ll try and have a great tournament.”

The southpaw has 2650+ runs in 112 T20 internationals for the Indian national team. The player also has 20 half centuries to her name. Smriti Mandhana will look forward to bringing the leadership experience to the Bengaluru outfit she has gained by captaining the national team frequently in the absence of Harmanpreet Kaur.