India’s T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur on Monday was handed a contract extension by Australian Women’s Big Bash League franchise Sydney Thunder. Opener and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana was roped in by the Hobart Hurricanes.
Kaur top-scored for Thunder in the second season wherein she racked up 296 runs while striking the ball at 117 at an average of 59.20. She was unsurprisingly named “Thunder’s Player of the Tournament.”
Mandhana who was signed by the Hurricanes had earlier represented Brisbane Heat in the second edition of the competition.
Mandhana interestingly had scored her first ODI hundred, that too against Australia in Tasmania, the home ground of the Hurricanes. The hard-hitting opener said that she was ready to showcase her talent for the Hurricanes.
“I’ve heard from many players that the Hurricanes group is a great squad to be around and I can’t wait to get to Tasmania for the matches,” she said, as quoted by PTI.
Salliann Briggs said that he was very happy with Mandhana’s signing, labelling her as an “exciting audition.”
“Mandhana is a proven performer on the world stage, we saw that just last week with her knock against the Aussies.
“I can’t wait to see her in purple, she’s an exciting addition not only for us but for the whole competition,” she added.
Image credit (Harmanpreet Kaur)-Cricketcountry
Image credit (Smriti Mandhana)-Women’s Cric Zone