RCB aces first-ever WPL after months of boardroom brainstorming
Tuesday, 14 February 2023 (22:59 IST)
Mumbai: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) took an aggressive yet confident approach in acquiring a team that boasted of Indian opener Smriti Mandhana who was bought for Rs 3.40 crore during the inaugural Women's Premier League auction held here on Monday.
"Smriti Mandhana was at the centre of this plan and I am glad that we have nailed a team composed of experienced and bold players who not only represent a champion’s mindset but also resonate our core brand philosophy of going all out," RCB Chairman Prathmesh Mishra said.
After getting the celebrated Mandhana in their kitty, RCB also made right calls at the mega auction and added 17 other talented players.
The franchise also added notable international names to their squad including the Australian duo of all-rounder Ellyse Perry for Rs 1.70 crore and medium pacer Megan Schutt for Rs 40 lakh, Black Cap's captain Sophie Devine (Rs 50 lakh), England’s skipper Heather Knight (Rs 40 lakh) and South African allrounder Dane Van Niekerk (Rs 30 lakh).
The young and emerging talented wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh was bought for Rs 1.90 crore and right-arm pacer Renuka Singh (Rs 1.50 crore) were among the significant Indian additions to RCB’s star-studded roster.
In line with their commitment to giving more chances to raw talents from India, as emphasised by Director of Cricket Operations, Mike Hesson, RCB also signed wrist-spinner Asha Shobana (Rs 10 Lakh), promising off-spinner Shreyanka Patil (Rs 10 Lakh) and all-rounder Kanika Ahuja (Rs 35 Lakh).
"Appointing former India cricketer Vanitha VR as our scout was a key in that process. She comes with huge experience and knowledge of the domestic circuit as well as the contemporary cricketers from world over. Her inputs and our RCB Hinterland scouting process together ensured we started our evaluation process way ahead of time," Mishra said.
"However, with the lack of readily available data on women’s cricket, we had to put the prospective players through multiple scouting layers, we believe in mutiple eyes, multiple times as our guiding principle, before shortlisting the top 100 names, who would be the best fit for RCB’s Play Bold philosophy," he said.
Speaking about the buys and the strategy behind the aggressive bidding at the auction, RCB Cricket Operations Director Mike Hesson said, "Not only did we get our auction dynamics right, but we have also surpassed our expectations. The team we have picked is not just 100 percent but 120 percent on target with what we have set out."
"Our scouting team definitely had a big role in going out and getting eyes on the players worth going after, finding the raw talents and being confident to polish them to accomplish the vision mix. Smriti can play boldly and is very well respected among Indian players and overseas.
"Ellyse Perry is very experienced and a power player too. She can also bat anywhere in the batting order between opening to six; can bowl bouncers and has a vast experience of playing in India. She is someone who will also add more leadership value within the group. This is an exciting group of cricketers we have amongst us and I am super proud to be part of this team," he said.
