WATCH: Team India players rejoice as Smriti Mandhana becomes first-ever to be sold in WPL Auction

The inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction is underway. The auction kicked off on Monday afternoon (February 13) and is making the headlines with many top players fetching big-fat cheques whereas some big names have already gone unsold. Indian opener Smriti Mandhana opened the proceedings and became the first-ever player to be sold in WPL when she was roped in by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for INR 3.8 crores.

Smriti was expected to draw alot of eyeballs in the auction. As soon as her name was mentioned, there was a bidding war for her. RCB emerged on top, moving past Mumbai Indians (MI) to acquire her services. A video of how Team India players were ecstatic and rejoiced after Smriti was picked by the RCB franchise has gone viral on social media platforms. She was watching the proceedings with the Indian players, who are currently in South Africa for the Women’s T20 World Cup, and were glued to the television sets when the auction kicked off in Mumbai. Here’s the video:

Having made her T20I debut a decade back against Bangladesh in April 2013, Smriti has come a long way in the format. Known for her immaculate timing, and not power-hitting, the left-hander has upped her game in the format and so far amassed 2,651 runs in 112 games at a strike rate of 122. In addition, she has 20 half-centuries to her name with a best of 86.

What she said after joining RCB:

Smriti also has the experience of leading the side — having led India on several occasions whenever Harmanpreet Kaur has been unavailable and has also captained in Women’s T20 Challenge. RCB also bought Australia’s star all-rounder Ellyse Perry, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, etc. Will Smriti be given the responsibility to lead RCB in inaugural WPL? Only time will tell…