Smriti Mandhana became the first player sold at the inaugural Women's Premier League auction in Mumbai, going to Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 3.4 crore (USD 415,000 approx), the highest bid of the auction so far.
RCB spent nearly 50% of their INR 12 crore purse on three players in the first marquee set, also buying allrounders Sophie Devine at her base price of INR 50 lakh (USD 61,000 approx) and Ellyse Perry for INR 1.7 crore (USD 207,000 approx).
"Everyone knows Mandhana and Perry, we were pretty committed to the couple of people we wanted to get," RCB director of cricket Mike Hesson said. "We're very happy to get such quality players. It's a dream result for us to get Mandhana, Perry and Devine. Smriti has got plenty of captaincy experience and is familiar with the Indian conditions so highly likely [she'll be captain]."
Mumbai Indians, who failed to buy Mandhana, beat off competition from RCB and Delhi Capitals for Harmanpreet Kaur and bought the India skipper for INR 1.8 crore (USD 220,000 approx).
Gardner, Nat Sciver-Brunt most expensive overseas buys
Ashleigh Gardner, the No.1. allrounder in women's T20Is, attracted the joint second-highest bid of INR 3.2 crore (USD 390,000 approx) from Gujarat Giants, alongside England's Natalie Sciver-Brunt, who was signed by Mumbai.
Gardner's strike rate of 133.62 is the highest among all batters with over 1000 T20I runs. On Friday, she picked up a career-best five-for in Australia's resounding win over New Zealand in their opening game of the Women's T20 World Cup in South Africa.
Natalie, a hard-hitting middle-order batter and seamer, was the third highest run-getter in the 2022 Women's Hundred. Her 228 runs in six innings for Trent Rockets came at a strike rate of 122.58.
Her England team-mate and left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone went to UP Warriorz for INR 1.8 crore (USD 220,000 approx), while West Indies batter Hayley Matthews was the only player unsold from the first marquee set.
Capitals sign India's Gen Z
Delhi Capitals bought India batters Jemimah Rodrigues (INR 2.2 crore - USD 268,000 approx) and Shafali Verma (INR 2 crore - USD 244,000 approx), alongside Australia captain Meg Lanning (INR 1.1 crore - USD 134,000 approx), giving them plenty of leadership options.
"No, it's too early for that, but of course there are captaincy options in those names," Parth Jindal, the co-owner of Capitals, said. "One is an India Under-19 captain [Shafali], another is a legend of the game in Meg Lanning. Jemimah too is a wonderful reader of the game. But it all depends on the coach at the end of it, also depends on who else we pick up."
Rodrigues got India off to a winning start over Pakistan at the T20 World Cup with a half-century on Sunday, while Shafali, who was part of that XI, captained India to their inaugural women's Under-19 T20 World Cup last month.
Allrounder Deepti Sharma was the second-most expensive Indian at INR 2.6 crore (USD 317,000 approx). She will line up for UP Warriorz, who will be based in her home state of Uttar Pradesh.
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