WPL Auction 2023: RCB Live Blog

8:50 PM - We finish the WPL Auction for the maiden edition of the tournament with a bang as the slots for all the 18 players were filled, featuring 12 Indians and 6 overseas players. As far as the Class of 2023 goes for the first season of WPL our prized additions are: Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, Ellyse Perry, Renuka Singh Thakur, Sophie Devine, Heather Knight, Megan Schutt, Kanika Ahuja, Erin Burns, Preeti Bose, Komal Zanzad, Asha Shobana, Disha Kasat, Indrani Roy, Poonam Khemnar, Sahana Pawar, Dane Van Niekerk and Shreyanka Patil. That is all from the auction room. Thank you everyone for joining.

 

8:44 PM - And we cap off what has been a busy day for us in the auction room with the buy of Sahana Pawar at her base price of INR 10  lakh. Another homegrown talent with a predilection for wickets, Sahana can sneak in a couple of crucial scalps under the pump and the next thing that you would know as an opponent is that you are staring down the barrel.

 

8:41 PM - 116 wickets at an economy rate of 6.2 and 3 four-fers accompanied by a fifer in the shortest format of the game, need we say more about Megan Schutt? We welcome the iconic Aussie bowler to our ranks at her base price of INR 40 lakh and we are all aware of the kind of havoc she is capable of wreaking on her heydays.

 

8:22 PM - Formerly a part of Velocity, Komal Zanzad is a talented left-arm medium fast bowler who has her fair share of kissing the timbre emphatically. She came at a price of INR 25 lakh after a gentle battle of paddles against Mumbai Indians.

 

8:21 PM - Poonam Khemmar is an exciting all-rounder and despite her absence from domestic cricket for a while, she has always been an enforcer of some excellent cricket and bought at the base price of INR 10 lakh, she will be a value-addition to the ranks of RCB.

 

8:17 PM - A towering name in the domestic circuit, Preeti Bose will be joining the ranks of RCB for the upcoming edition of the WPL as she was purchased for her base price of INR 30 lakh.

 

8:16 PM - Dane van Niekerk is an underrated yet a dynamic gem in the shortest format of the game who has played an exceptional role for South Africa. The experienced all-rounder will be a part of the RCB family for the maiden edition of the WPL as she was bought for her base price of INR 30 lakh.

 

8:08 PM - An experienced campaigner, the English captain and most importantly, a sizzling striker of the cherry, Heather Knight is now a Royal Challenger. RCB roped in the experience campaigner at her base price of INR 40 lakh. Welcome aboard, Heather.

 

7:26 PM - Added just one day ahead of the auction, Asha Shobana is a quick learner and can fit in perfectly in a star-studded line-up for RCB given her ability to dovetail with the team and bring in her own brand of aggressive all-round cricket to the fore. RCB roped her in for her base price of INR 10 lakh.  

 

7:25 PM - Let's just say a homegrown prodigy is always special to any franchise and RCB is no exception to the obvious. Hailing from Karnataka, Shreyanka Patil is a captivating off-spinner who mines some decent drift. RCB notched her for the base price of INR 10 lakh.

 

7:23 PM - Kanika Ahuja is an unheralded yet thrilling talent who will be donning the RCB threads for the maiden edition of the WPL as she was bought at a price of INR 35 lakh after a pulsating battle with the Mumbai Indians.

 

7:22 PM - A young wicket-keeper is always a priceless asset to any T20 team and after Richa Ghosh already roped in, the next gloves-woman to adorn the hallowed likes of RCB is Indrani Roy who was bought for her base price of INR 10 lakh. Welcome to the family, Indrani.

 

7:18 PM - RCB's mantra has always been to bring in youth, harness them and help them explode at the biggest stages of all. Embracing this ethos of theirs, RCB bagged the exciting young moniker of Disha Kasat. An exciting all-rounder whose recent performances in the domestic circuit did rivet some serious attention, Disha, will be donning the RCB colours for her base price of INR 10 lakh.

 

6:50 PM - The recently concluded WBBL saw Erin Burns turning quite a few heads and going by her hard-hitting prowess and her string of recently conjured impressive displays for the NSW Women, RCB seized control of her at her base price of INR 30 lakh. Welcome aboard, Erin.

 

5:30 PM - A few big names still scrambling for takers. A bit of a lull in the room reigning supreme. But guess what, the accelerated round is up next after 45 minutes of break. How excited are you all? As we head to the breather, just to remind you all, the purse still reads INR 3 lakh and we have five buzzing picks to adorn our ranks.

 

4:50 PM - Before we head to a 15-minutes breather, here is a quick refresher for you all as we have five stars adorning the hallowed ranks of RCB with Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Sophine Devine, Renuka Singh Thakur and Richa Ghosh already. INR 300 lakh still remains and we have some powerhouse war of paddles coming up.

 

4:30 PM - T20 is a game of pyrotechnics and when you need them raining on the 22 yards, who better than an on song Richa Ghosh. A fearless batter and an adept gloves-woman, soaring at the tender age of just 19 years will be joining the likes of RCB for INR 190 lakh. Let those high-flyers start rolling in already.

 

4:05 PM - She has spoken! Smriti Mandhana opened up on what being a part of RCB meant to her. Here is what she had to say: "We have been watching auction of men's. It is such a big moment for women to have an auction of this sort. The whole thing is exacting. RCB's legacy is big, they have built a big fan-base. Hope we both can together build a big team. Namaskara Bengaluru, excited to wear the red and gold and aim for the cup."

 

3:50 PM - After a stormy opening session, RCB savoured a bit of a lull despite shuffling the paddles for a while but as things stand the ranks glisten with a starry quartet featuring the likes of Mandhana, Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry and Renuka Singh Thakur. Also, in case if you are wondering, the remaining purse reads INR 490 lakh.

 

3:22 PM - Another sweep of the paddles, another rollicking battle and another Indian ace bagged emphatically as RCB welcomes ICC Women's Emerging Cricketer of the Year for 2022, Renuka Singh Thakur for INR 150 lakh. Get your seat belts buckled in hard for the speed guns will shatter when Renuka rams ahead at full steam in the RCB threads.

3:12 PM - After some pulsating splurge in the marquee set that saw RCB bagging three glistening names, RCB's director of cricketing operations, Mike Hesson opened up on the purchases. Here is what he had to say: "Everyone knows Mandhana and Perry, we were pretty committed to the couple of people we wanted to get. we're very happy to get such quality players. it's a dream result for us to get Mandhana, Perry and Devine. Smriti has got plenty of captaincy experience and is familiar with the Indian conditions so highly likely."

 

3:00 PM - 15 minutes into the auction and RCB has gone headstrong, firing on all cylinders in the opening hours as they bagged their third signing of the day in the form of another swashbuckling Aussie all-rounder, Ellyse Perry. Roped in for INR 170 lakh, RCB now has the holy trinity of Smriti, Sophie and Pez.

 

2:55 PM - 17 years of international cricketing experience under her belt and she whips the bowlers with swashbuckling radiance, here we are welcoming seasoned Kiwi campaigner, Sophie Devine to RCB. Bought at the base price of INR 50 lakh, Sophie is all set to make a few ripples in the Red and Gold.

 

2:50 PM - When she steps into the arcarde, she fears none. She hammers the bowlers left, right and center and guess what, we have roped in the numero uno batter in Indian women's cricket at the moment, Smriti Mandhana for INR 340 lakh. After some terrific battle with Mumbai Indians, we welcome aboard, Smriti.

 

2:45 PM - BCCI unveils the WPL logo and it is as enriching as it can be, signalling the path of a groundbreaking move in the antiquity of Indian women's cricket.

 

2:20 PM – It’s 10 minutes from the gala to kick-off. Here’s a quick reminder to jog your memories. 449 players to go under the hammer and a total of 90 slots to be filled by each team. 60 out of those 90 slots will go to the Indians while the remaining 30 will see the overseas players making all the right noises.

 

2:00 PM - It's half-an-hour from showtime as Jio Convention Centre in Mumbai gears up for the mega fest. Follow all the live action pertaining to RCB's women franchise here in this blog.