Two Indian stars emerged as the only ones picked in the recent The Hundred Draft in London. While some big names from India were overlooked, Smriti Mandhana and Richa Ghosh secured exciting opportunities with new teams.
Dominant Duo Find New Homes after The Hundred Draft
Smriti Mandhana, fresh off her captaincy victory in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), will be joining the Southern Brave Women’s team. This isn’t entirely new territory for Mandhana, who previously played for the Brave and even shared a coaching connection with Luke Williams, who recently joined RCB as coach during the WPL.
Wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh, also part of the WPL champion RCB team, found a new home at the Birmingham Phoenix Women’s team. This is Ghosh’s second stint in The Hundred, having previously played for the London Spirit.
Stellar Performances Not Enough for Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues
Despite impressive performances, some other Indian players like Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Shreyanka Patil were not picked during the main draft.
Notably, Shreyanka was the highest wicket-taker in the WPL this season, grabbing a stellar 13 wickets in just eight matches.
Chance Through Wild Cards
However, there’s still hope for these overlooked players. Each team in The Hundred has the option to bring in one more overseas player through the Vitality Wild Cards. This provides a chance for Kaur, Sharma, Rodrigues, Patil, and others to potentially enter the competition later.