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WPL 2024 Auction: Good bowling side wins you competition, says skipper Smriti Mandhana
Mumbai: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) found the right balance with their well thought out acquisitions at the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 Player Auction held in Mumbai on Saturday.
RCB’s seven bids to fill the vacant spots and form a bold squad for the upcoming season were the result of extensive planning and strategy by the proficient backroom staff — which includes head coach Luke Williams, assistant head coach and head of scouting Malolan Rangarajan — with some crucial tactical inputs from skipper Smriti Mandhana.
Mandhana expressed her delight over auction picks and said the planning for the auction began after the first season only and they were keen to focus more on experienced bowlers who have bowled in Indian conditions.
The team secured one of the country’s most experienced spinners and Khel Ratna awardee Ekta Bisht (₹60 lakh), who is first Indian woman to take a hat-trick in the T20 Internationals. They further added pace into their attack by picking England’s Kate Cross (₹30 lakh) and young Indian all-rounder Simran Bahadur (₹30 lakh).
As part of RCB’s commitment to provide a platform for local young talents, they picked a promising domestic all-rounder Shubha Satheesh (₹10 lakh) from Bengaluru before adding 2016 Women’s Asia Cup-winner S Meghana (₹30 lakh) into the squad. Australian spin all-rounders Georgia Wareham (₹40 lakh) and Sophie Molineux (₹30 lakh) were the other two foreign acquisitions of the franchise to complete a strong 18-member squad.
Talking about the auction and the selection of players, RCB, head & VP Rajesh V Menon said, “There are no shortcuts to building a team. You make the foundation brick by brick every season. We had lots of learnings from last year, and our main objective was to take those learnings into the auction, plug those gaps, and build a squad that would give us outstanding balance and flexibility to play in any conditions”
RCB, known for its Play Bold philosophy, not only snatched players who are good with the ball, but also those who are skilful with the bat as well.
“Bowling is definitely very important in T20s and a good bowling side wins you competition and this year we were looking to strengthen our spin unit and also look for overseas pacers who can complement Renuka [Singh] well. We have Kate Cross now and I think she will complement Renuka well in the power play with both swinging the other way. And with Molineux and Wareham, the bowling looks very experienced. Plus we have the likes of Shreyanka [Patil] and also [Sophie] Devine and [Ellyse] Perry,” said Mandhana.
Further explaining RCB’s approach and strategy behind the auction, the assistant head coach and head of scouting, Malolan said: “One of the things RCB did really well is to have strong Indian domestic core in Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, Renuka Singh, Kanika Ahuja and Shreyanka Patil, who form potentially your top five starters in the playing eleven, we have of a very good Indian core. Now, you add to that Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry and Heather Knight, you have one half of the puzzle already sorted. We had a very focused approach to our auction as to how we can better this team with the options available out there. Our focus was to get a well-balanced bowling unit which can perform under any conditions we may encounter.”
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
