Pop out the champagne ‘coz it’s time to celebrate! Indian women’s cricket team opener and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana has created a record! The batter just became the costliest cricketer in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction. The 26-year-old was picked up by Royal Challengers Bangalore for a whopping amount of Rs 3.4 crore.
The WPL auction started with Smriti and she caused a massive bidding war. RCB had stiff competition from Mumbai Indians to win Smriti for their team.
Smriti’s batting abilities and leadership skills made her the most sought-after player of the season. And she has earned this victory with sheer hard work and determination. Scroll down to know all about Smriti’s journey
Cricket Runs In Her Blood
Smriti was born into a family of cricketers. Her father Shrinivas Mandhana and brother Shravan Mandhana both played cricket at the district level for Sangli, Maharashtra. Her family members inspired her to play the sport but it was hard for her to break into Indian women’s cricket.
In a media interaction, Smriti shared, “When I was growing up, not many people knew that India had a women’s cricket team. My family did not know who to approach so that I could take it up as my career, bohot saari future uncertainty thi, (There was a lot of uncertainty) but I loved cricket. The joy of playing was bigger than my fears, aur maine kabhi haar nahi maani.(I never gave up)” Smriti was 11 when she got selected for the Maharashtra Under-19 team and her journey began from there.
Smriti Smashes Records In Domestic Cricket
Smriti’s biggest breakthrough happened in 2013 when she became the first Indian woman to achieve a double-hundred in a one-day game. Even today her record of 224 runs off 150 balls against Gujarat remains an inspiration for millions of cricket fans. Her domestic cricket victories didn’t go unnoticed by selectors for the Indian women’s national team. From playing for her state, Smriti made her way to international matches in no time.
Smriti’s International Cricket Fleet Is An Inspiration
Smriti made her international debut for India against Bangladesh in 2013 in T20, ODI and Test match formats. But it wasn’t an easy journey for her. It took her three years to score her first ton at the big leagues. Her technique was questioned and this shattered her confidence. But Smriti took the criticism like a champ and worked hard to improve her game.
Her best career run happened in 2019 when she emerged as the leading run-scorer in a domestic T20 league in England. She won the ICC Women’s ODI Player and the ICC Women’s Player of the Year award in the same year. Since then she has not looked back.
As a fangirl, I am excited to see Smriti’s smashing performance at the first WPL. I bet she’ll be the one breaking records and making her fans proud.
The inaugural edition of WPL will be played in Mumbai from March 4 to 26 and I have already bookmarked the dates!
Feature Image: Instagram