London: India opener Smriti Mandhana headlined the Indian presence in The Hundred women’s player draft as compatriots Richa Ghosh and Deepti Sharma secured contracts with their respective franchises here on Wednesday.
Mandhana had already been signed directly by Manchester Super Giants ahead of the draft, with the franchise strengthening its squad further by roping in Australian great Meg Lanning, while England spinner Sophie Ecclestone was retained.
Wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh was the most expensive Indian pick of the draft, joining Manchester Super Giants for GBP 50,000 (approximately Rs 61 lakh). The franchise made a solitary bid to secure the services of the explosive batter.
All-rounder Deepti Sharma was picked up by SunRisers Leeds for GBP 27,500 (around Rs 34 lakh). The franchise opened the bidding and faced no further competition to acquire the experienced Indian cricketer.
However, India’s Yastika Bhatia and Sree Charani went unsold during the draft.
A total of 178 players were part of the draft pool, while 28 had already been either retained or signed directly by the franchises before the event.
Each women’s franchise operated with a purse of GBP 880,000 to assemble their squads. The upcoming edition of The Hundred will run from July 21 to August 16.
