India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana bagged a huge deal of INR 3.4 crore with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the first set of Womens Premier League (WPL) Player Auction here on Monday.
From a base price of INR 50 lakh, RCB and Mumbai Indians (MI) were locked in an intense battle for Smriti's services, before the former managed to acquire her services, offering an opening as well as a captaincy option.
Interestingly, she wears the number 18 jersey, which is the same number which Virat Kohli wears for RCB in the men's Indian Premier League (IPL). Mumbai were then in a tussle alongside RCB, Delhi Capitals (DC) and UP Warriorz to get the services of captain Harmanpreet Kaur, which ended in them roping her in for INR 1.8 crore.
New Zealand captain Sophie Devine was sold to RCB at the base price of INR 50 lakh. Australia's off-spin all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner was being contested by MI and Warriorz, but Gujarat Giants got her in for INR 3.2 crore.
RCB and DC were in contention to get premier Australia pace all-rounder Ellyse Perry, with the former taking her in for INR 1.7 crore. Gujarat and Delhi both wanted England's left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone, but Warriorz got her for INR 1.8 crore.
From the first set, only West Indies captain Hayley Matthews was unsold. "Everyone knows Mandhana and Perry, we were pretty committed to the couple of people we wanted to get. 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)," said Mike Hesson, Director of Cricket, RCB, in the press conference.