Women#39;s Premier League: What the franchises said after inaugural player auction

After an eventful subordinate auction for the Women's Premier League (WPL), the 5 franchises are each acceptable for the inaugural play of the caller league scheduled to statesman this March.

Women cricketers during the archetypal auction of WPL saw beardown bidding from the five teams including Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants, Royal Challengers Bangalore and UP Warriorz.

"It was overwhelming to spot everyone cheering and celebrating the fantastic endowment of women cricketers,” said Nita Ambani, proprietor of Mumbai Indians (MI). She said that the franchise is blessed with the mode the auction panned out. "We are precise blessed to get the Indian skipper astatine Mumbai Indians." The franchise won the bid for Harmanpreet Kaur, skipper of the India Women's National Cricket Team successful each formats, for Rs 1.8 crore.

“I person seen Rohit (Sharma) turn from a subordinate to skipper astatine Mumbai Indians and this year, we implicit 10 years of Rohit arsenic a skipper for Mumbai Indians. We are present welcoming Harman (Harmanpreet Kaur) to the MI family,” said Ambani. She drew parallels betwixt the 2 captains. “Both of them travel with large experience, professionalism and a winning mentality. They are a immense inspiration to each our youngsters. So, we are truly excited to person some these players.”

Other large buys by MI were Natalie Sciver for Rs 3.2 crore, and Pooja Vastrakar for Rs 1.9 crore.

Mumbai Indians has got connected committee Mahela Jayawardene arsenic planetary caput of performance, and the newly-formed coaching squad for the women’s squad includes Charlotte Edwards arsenic caput coach, Jhulan Goswami arsenic squad mentor and bowling manager and Devieka Palshikaar arsenic batting coach.

Another franchise Delhi Capitals besides had an action-packed auction, said the team's owners. "We had a precise bully auction, with the close blend of young and experienced players successful the squad. I americium precise excited astir the Indian players that we person managed to pick. And, besides excited to get the astir renowned overseas players into the squad," said Delhi Capitals' Chairman & Co-owner Parth Jindal.

The JSW and GMR co-owned Delhi Capitals franchise bagged batter Jemimah Rodrigues for Rs 2.2 crore and all-rounders Radha Yadav astatine Rs 40 lakh and Shikha Pandey for Rs 60 lakh on with the U-19 Women T20 World Cup winners Shafali Verma astatine Rs 2 halfway and Titas Sadhu for Rs 25 lakh. Delhi Capitals besides picked up Australia Women's squad Captain Meg Lanning for Rs 1.1 halfway and South African all-rounder Marizanne Kapp astatine Rs 1.5 crore.

"Our go-to subordinate was Kapp and we got her. Mainly we are sorted with our halfway of Indian players, we are concentrating much connected the bowlers arsenic well. It is going to beryllium a large level for each the women youngsters. As we person seen successful the men's team, we person ever backed youngsters and we are going to bash the aforesaid present arsenic well," said Delhi Capitals' co-owner GM Ruchir.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) which made the highest bid during the WPL subordinate auction for Smriti Mandhana astatine Rs 3.4 crore said that the team took an assertive approach.

“Buying a women’s squad was ever connected the cards for RCB and we started putting the puzzles unneurotic months successful beforehand earlier WPL squad tender. Appointing erstwhile India cricketer Vanitha VR arsenic our scout was a cardinal successful that process. While there was lack of readily disposable information connected women’s cricket, we enactment the prospective players done aggregate scouting layers earlier we shortlisted the apical 100 names," said Prathmesh Mishra, Chairman, RCB.

Smriti Mandhana was astatine the centre of this plan, helium added.

Along with the teams that are portion of men's Indian Premier League (IPL), the 2 caller franchises, Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz, besides made beardown bids astatine the WPL auction.

After a heated bidding war, the Gujarat Giants opened their relationship with the prime of Australian all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner for Rs 3.2 crore, who was among the apical buys astatine WPL auction 2023.

“This marks a caller opening for each of america associated with the Adani Sportsline-owned Gujarat Giants. My squad and I are thrilled to permission the array feeling delighted with the squad we person enactment together. With each our bases covered, from present onwards we statesman our mentation for the upcoming tournament,” said Mithali Raj, mentor, and advisor for Gujarat Giants.

Australian Beth Mooney came successful for Rs 2 crore for the Giants adjacent and the team's archetypal Indian prime was Harleen Deol.

“As our archetypal foray into the Women’s Premier League, the Gujarat Giants’ squad has the imaginable to permission an indelible people connected the matches ahead. The Giants person immoderate of the finest coaches and mentor connected committee to guarantee that the squad carves a niche for themselves. As the eventful auction has travel to an end, I’m truly looking guardant to the games,” said Satyam Trivedi, Head, Adani Sportsline.

Franchise UP Warriorz was the fastest to respond erstwhile Deepti Sharma’s sanction came retired of the bag, making her the astir costly subordinate successful the squad astatine Rs 2.6 crore. Sharma, who hails from the metropolis of Agra, was the franchise's archetypal Indian prime astatine the auction.

The franchise besides swooped successful to unafraid the services of Parshavi Chopra astatine Rs 10 lakh, who comes from Bulandshahr successful Uttar Pradesh.

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