Star Indian tennis player Sania Mirza has joined Women’s Premier League (WPL) side Royal Challengers Bangalore as a mentor on Wednesday (February 15). The 36-year-old tennis legend, who will play her final professional tournament in Dubai this month, will be part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise. Sania has a close connection with cricket, as her husband Shoaib Malik is still an active cricketer and has previously captained the Pakistan men’s cricket team as well.
The franchise’s official Twitter handle shared a video on Wednesday morning to confirm the news of Sania joining the team ahead of the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League as a mentor.
“The pioneer in Indian sports for women, a youth icon, someone who has played Bold and broken barriers throughout her career, and a champion on and off the field. We are proud to welcome Sania Mirza as the mentor of the RCB women’s cricket team. #PlayBold @MirzaSania.”
In the video, Sania said that she was quite surprised when she was approached for the role by the franchise, but at the same time was really excited.
In the players auction for the Women’s Premier League that took place in Mumbai on Monday (February 13), RCB splashed out a sum of Rs 3.40 crore to acquire the services of star Indian opening batter and team vice captain Smriti Mandhana. The left-handed opening batter, who is likely to lead the side as well, is the most expensive player in WPL auction history. Apart from her, the RCB added the likes of star Indian pacer Renuka Thakur, young wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh, women’s T20 legend Sophie Devine from New Zealand, Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry and pacer Megan Schutt, and England captain Heather Knight among various other players.
The inaugural edition of the WPL will start on March 4, and RCB will open its campaign on the second day against the Delhi Capitals at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.
RCB’s squad for WPL 2023: Smriti Mandhana (Rs 3.4 crore), Sophie Devine (Rs 50 lakh), Ellyse Perry (Rs 1.7 crore), Renuka Thakur (Rs 1.5 crore), Richa Ghosh (Rs 1.9 crore), Erin Burns (Rs 30 lakh), Disha Kasat (Rs 10 lakh), Indrani Roy (Rs 10 lakh), Shreyanka Patil (Rs 10 lakh), Kanika Ahuja (Rs 35 Lakh), Asha Shobana (Rs 10 lakh), Heather Knight (Rs 40 lakh), Dane van Niekerk (Rs 30 lakh), Preeti Bose (Rs 30 lakh), Poonam Khemna (Rs 10 lakh), Komal Zanzad (Rs 25 lakh), Megan Schutt (Rs 40 lakh), Sahana Pawar (Rs 10 lakh).
