Indian vice captain Smriti Mandhana will return to Australia's Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) in the 2024 season after being signed up by the Adelaide Strikers for the 10th edition. The 28-year-old will reunite with Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) Women's Premier League (WPL) 2024 title-winning coach Luke Williams.
This will be the third team across three different countries where Mandhana will play for a team coached by Williams. Apart from their captain-coach pairing at RCB, the Indian star also played for the Southern Brave in the Hundred League, which is coached by Williams.
It was widely reported that Mandhana played a key role in RCB appointing Williams as their head coach ahead of the 2024 WPL after a disasterous campaign in 2023.
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Mandhana has been signed up by the Strikers as their pre-draft overseas pick ahead of the WBBL draft on September 1. The 2024 WPL-winning captain is the first-ever Indian to be signed by a WBBL team as an overseas pre-draft pick.
For those unversed, the rule has been introduced for the first time ahead of the 2024 season in both the men and women competitions. This allows teams to sign foreign players on a maximum of three-year contracts before the draft.. The other 7 WBBL teams have signed Nadine de Klerk, Lizelle Lee, Hayley Matthews, Marizanne Kapp, Sophie Devine, Amelia Kerr, and Chamari Athapaththu.
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Meanwhile, a total of 19 Indians have nominated themselves to be part of the draft on Sunday.
The 2024 WBBL will start on October 27, just a week after the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup comes to an end in the United Arab Emirates. The star Indian opener could miss the start of the tournament as the Women in Blue are scheduled to play an ODI series against New Zealand.
Mandhana will join the Strikers, who have won the last two titles, having lifted the trophy for the first time in 2022-23 and defended the title in 2023-24.
It is also worth noting that Mandhana will become the first Indian to play for four WBBL teams having previously played for Brisbane Heat (2016/17), Hobart Hurricanes (2018/19), and Sydney Thunder (2021/22).