Mumbai Indians have made their biggest buy so far of the Women's Premier League auction, buying England all-rounder Natalie Sciver for Rs 3.20 crore. Her base price was Rs 50 lakh.
The franchise had earlier bought Indian T20I skipper Harmanpreet Kaur for Rs 1.80 crore.
Nat Sciver-Brunt had etched her name in history books by becoming the first English cricketer to pick a T20I hat-trick, a feat that has replicated only once in the last decade.
The 30-year-old all-rounder is only 31 runs away from reaching the magical 2,000-run figure in the shortest format, while with her medium-pace bowling, she has picked up 78 wickets.
The inaugural edition of the WPL will be played in Mumbai from 4 March to 26 March A total of 22 matches will be played, with the Brabourne Stadium and D.Y. Patil Stadium playing hosts to the marquee tournament comprising Gujarat Giants, UP Warriorz, Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
A total of 409 players are going under the hammer today in the auction in Mumbai of which 246 are Indians and 163 are overseas players. The total number of capped players are 202, uncapped players are 199. A maximum of 90 slots are available with the five teams, with 30 being slotted for overseas players.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)