By Wisden India staff
Smriti Mandhana became the second Indian player, after Harmanpreet Kaur, to be signed up for the second edition of the Women’s Big Bash League in Australia.
Mandhana, the 20-year-old left-hand batter, will join Brisbane Heat, and will feature alongside the likes of West Indies’ Deandra Dottin, and Australia’s Jess Jonassen, Beth Mooney and Holly Ferling, the team announced on Tuesday (September 27).
Heat finished sixth in the eight-team table in the inaugural edition of Australia’s T20 league competition, the first of its kind for women.
Mandhana, who has 645 runs from 20 One-Day Internationals and 321 runs from 20 T20 Internationals, impressed on India’s tour of Australia earlier this year. She brought up her maiden hundred in the second ODI in Hobart after a vital knock in a rain-hit second T20I helped India, chasing 66 in 10 overs, seal a historic series win.
“I am looking forward very much to working with the Australian girls in the Heat squad after playing against them last season,” Mandhana told the Heat website. “That was a good series, and I noticed there was a definite difference between their preparation and our preparation so I am keen to learn from the differences. Things like fitness and how they train for a series like the WBBL and the way they work on their fielding are areas I am interested in.”
In June this year, the BCCI cleared the path for their female players to participate in foreign leagues. Soon after, Harmanpreet, an aggressive middle-order batter who can bowl offspin, was signed up by Sydney Thunder, the defending champions.
New Zealand and West Indian stars have credited their experience from the WBBL for their improved performances on the world stage. As the ICC Women’s Championship enters its final rounds and with qualification for the 2017 World Cup at stake, India, too, will hope to benefit from their players’ Australian stint.
This piece was first published on Wisden India.