Sania Mirza RCB: Royal Challengers Bangalore on Wednesday shocked everyone. The franchise has opted for India Tennis legend Sania Mirza as their team’s mentor ahead of the upcoming maiden Women’s Premier League season. Mirza who played her last Grand Slam match at Australian Open 2023 last month is pumped up and ‘excited’ for this next chapter in her life. Notably, the only connection that the tennis great has with cricket is that she is the wife of former Pakistan men’s team captain Shoaib Malik. Follow WPL 2023 LIVE updates with InsideSport.IN
Mirza is yet to retire from Tennis. The Indian icon is set to play her final tournament at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships with Madison Keys.
Sania Mirza RCB: Royal Challengers Bangalore SHOCK everyone, opt India Tennis GREAT Sania Mirza as Team’s Mentor for Women’s Premier League, Follow WPL 2023 LIVE
“The pioneer in Indian sports for women, a youth icon, someone who has played Bold and broken barriers throughout her career, and a champion on and off the field. We are proud to welcome Sania Mirza as the mentor of the RCB women’s cricket team,” RCB wrote on their social media as they announced Sania as the mentor of the RCB Women’s Team.
The pioneer in Indian sports for women, a youth icon, someone who has played Bold and broken barriers throughout her career, and a champion on and off the field. We are proud to welcome Sania Mirza as the mentor of the RCB women’s cricket team. 🤩#PlayBold @MirzaSania pic.twitter.com/eMOMU84lsC
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) February 15, 2023
Sania Mirza: A Tennis Great
Over the course of her 20-year career, Mirza, who became pro in 2003, developed a career in both the singles and doubles circuits. She won her local tournament, the 2005 Hyderabad Open, becoming the first Indian woman to do so. That season, she was also named WTA Newcomer of the Year.
She peaked at No. 27 in the singles rankings in 2007 before devoting herself entirely to the doubles circuit. At the Australian Open in 2009, she and Mahesh Bhupathi won the mixed title, her first major victory. Later, she won the mixed doubles competitions at the 2012 French Open and the 2014 US Open.
In order to become one of the most fearsome and effective partnerships of the previous ten years, Mirza and Martina Hingis teamed together in 2015. The pair triumphed at the 2015 Wimbledon, 2015 US Open, and 2016 Australian Open to win three straight majors. In April 2015, Mirza became the first Indian woman to hold the top spot on the WTA Tour after making her debut at No. 1 in doubles.
RCB Full Squad: Smriti Mandhana, Disha Kasat, Renuka Singh, Preeti Bose, Komal Zanzad, Megan Schutt, Sahana Pawar, Richa Ghosh, Indrani Roy, Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Erin Burns, Shreyanka Patil, Kanika Ahuja, Asha Shobana, Heather Knight, Dane van Niekerk, and Poonam Khemnar.
