India’s explosive left-hander batter Smriti Mandhana entered the auction with a Base price of 50 lakhs. Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Mumbai Indians were the two teams who went in to rope her. Bangalore won the bid and got Mandhana for a whopping amount of 340 Lakhs.
Smriti Mandhana has been one of the crucial players for quite some time now. She has proved herself across all formats and leagues, be it the Big Bash League or the Women's Hundred. At present, she is at number three in the ICC T20I rankings for women batters. It is highly likely that Mandhana becomes the most expensive player in the WPL auction.
"She is an opener, she can take the game away, she is also captaincy material, so obviously whichever team she will go to she's going to lead that squad. She brings a lot of experience and a lot of runs to that franchisee. She is young so that means she will be with that franchise for a long time. That is something all franchises would be watching out for", Veda Krishnamurthy spoke on Smriti Mandhana.
The much-awaited Women's Premier League (WPL) 2023 Auction is taking place on Monday, February 13, in Mumbai. A total of 409 players will go under the hammer with 246 Indians and 163 overseas players will be making the cut.
The five teams -- Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, RCB, Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz -- are bidding. With a salary purse of Rs 12 crore per team for the first year and a squad size of 18 including six overseas players, at least 20 to 25 of the 60 Indian women set to be picked will command good auction price. The base prices are set in five brackets with the least being Rs 10 lakh and the highest Rs 50 lakh. The other brackets are Rs 20, 30 and 40 lakh, respectively.