Smriti Mandhana To Lead 1st Ever Women's Maharashtra Premier League

The Women's Maharashtra Premier League (WMPL), powered by the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA), is all set to begin on June 24 at the esteemed Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Gahunje. The tournament promises to be a thrilling celebration of cricket, igniting excitement among cricket enthusiasts across the nation, with Smriti Mandhana, the winning captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore in the second season of the Women's Premier League 2024, participating in the WMPL.

Who all are Playing in the Inaugural Women's Maharashtra Premier League?

The Women's Maharashtra Premier League (WMPL) gears up for its grand debut on June 24 at Gahunje's Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.Leading the charge are some of the brightest stars in women's cricket, including the renowned Smriti Mandhana, who recently led RCB to victory in the WPL. Mandhana joins other standout players like Devika Vaidya, Anuja Patil, Kiran Navgire, and Shraddha Pokharkar as the iconic faces of the WMPL.

As teams gear up for battle, the stakes couldn't be higher. With a hefty prize purse of INR 20 lakh awaiting the champions and INR 10 lakh for the runners-up, along with individual accolades up for grabs, the competition promises to be intense.

This league isn't just any tournament; it's a historic move by the MCA as it marks their first-ever state league dedicated solely to women's cricket, with full support from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Anticipation mounts as the stage is set for the team auction on April 27, followed by the player auction on May 11. 

Smriti Mandhana: The New Captain Cool of Indian Cricket

The Women's Premier League 2024 final match on March 17 witnessed Royal Challenger's Bangalore secure its first win, beating Delhi Capitals by eight wickets. The Smriti Mandhana-led team made history not only for the women's team but across leagues. "The feeling hasn't sunk in, maybe it'll take time," said the champion team's captain, Mandhana, at the post-match press conference. "It's hard to come out with a lot of expressions at the moment. The only thing I want to say is how proud I am of the bunch. We've been through ups and downs, the way they stuck together and got us through the line was amazing to watch."

Speaking to the media, Orange Cap winner Ellyse Perry and coach Luke Williams credited Mandhana's sense of calm for RCB's historic victory. Through the highs and lows of this season, the team relied on her composure to hand a defeat to Delhi Capitals in the finals. 

'Ee sala cup namdu!' (the cup is ours this time), screamed Royal Challengers Bangalore fans for the first time in 17 years, as Smriti Mandhana's team forged a path of victory. The captain's level-headedness shone through in the season, marking one of the biggest moments in her glorious cricket career.  

Born in Chennai and raised in Maharashtra's Sangli, Mandhana was only nine years old when she was selected for the State Under-15 team. Her passion for cricket came from watching her brother, Shravan, represent Maharashtra in the U-16 tournaments.

When she was 17 years old, Mandhana became the first Indian woman to achieve a double hundred in a one-day game in 2013. Playing against Gujarat, she scored an unbeaten 224 off 150 balls in the West Zone Under-19 Tournament in Vadodara.

In 2014, Mandhana made her international debut in England, helping India defeat the home team in the Test match. In the second ODI game of India's tour of Australia in 2016, Mandhana scored her maiden international century. She emerged as the only Indian player to be named on the ICC Women's Team in that tournament.

The same year, Mandhana also scored three half-centuries and emerged as the top scorer in the Women's Challenger Trophy. 

In June 2018, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) awarded her 'the Best Women's International Cricketer' in the BCCI awards. In May 2019, she won the International Woman Cricketer of the Year award at the CEAT International Cricket Awards.

The ICC awarded her the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Award for the Women's Cricketer of the Year. Mandhana has maintained an impressive record throughout her career, scripting history and smashing records.

This led her to secure the captain's title for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Women's Premier League in 2024. "The one thing I've learned is to believe in myself," Mandhana said after RCB's win on March 11.

"I thought that's something that I lacked. Last year when it did go wrong, I doubted myself. That was a real conversation internally, and I need to keep trusting myself. That was the biggest learning for me."