NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Smriti Mandhana expressed optimism that the addition of veteran England pacer Kate Cross would strengthen her team’s bowling, especially in the powerplay, alongside Renuka Singh in the second edition of the Women’s Premier League 2024.
Cross, acquired by the Royal Challengers in the player auction on Saturday for Rs 30 lakh, brings a wealth of experience from playing franchise cricket with teams such as Brisbane Heat and Manchester Originals.
“We have Kate Cross now, and I think she will complement (pacer) Renuka well in the power play with both swinging the other way,” said Mandhana in a release issued by the RCB.
RCB’s emphasis was on acquiring additional bowlers and all-rounders rather than specialised batters, and Mandhana noted that the team went into the auction with that specific goal in mind.
Apart from Cross, RCB bought Ekta Bisht (left-arm spinner), Georgia Wareham (leg-spinner), Sabbineni Meghana (all-rounder), Simran Bahadur (medium-pacer), Sophie Molineux (left-arm spinner) and home-grown talent Shubha Satheesh (all-rounder).
Mandhana explained the buys.
“Bowling is definitely very important in T20s. This year, we were looking to strengthen our spin unit and also look for overseas pacers who could complement Renuka [Singh] well,” she said.
“With Molineux and Wareham with us, the bowling looks very experienced. We also have the likes of Shreyanka [Patil], [Sophie] Devine and [Ellyse] Perry.”
RCB had a poor outing during the inaugural WPL, finishing fourth in the five-team league and they failed to enter the playoffs.
RCB squad for WPL 2024: Smriti Mandhana, Asha Shobana, Disha Kasat, Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight, Indrani Roy, Kanika Ahuja, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Sophie Devine, Georgia Wareham, Kate Cross, Ekta Bisht, Shubha Satheesh, Sabbineni Meghana, Simran Bahadur and Sophie Molineux.
(With PTI Inputs)
Cross, acquired by the Royal Challengers in the player auction on Saturday for Rs 30 lakh, brings a wealth of experience from playing franchise cricket with teams such as Brisbane Heat and Manchester Originals.
“We have Kate Cross now, and I think she will complement (pacer) Renuka well in the power play with both swinging the other way,” said Mandhana in a release issued by the RCB.
RCB’s emphasis was on acquiring additional bowlers and all-rounders rather than specialised batters, and Mandhana noted that the team went into the auction with that specific goal in mind.
Apart from Cross, RCB bought Ekta Bisht (left-arm spinner), Georgia Wareham (leg-spinner), Sabbineni Meghana (all-rounder), Simran Bahadur (medium-pacer), Sophie Molineux (left-arm spinner) and home-grown talent Shubha Satheesh (all-rounder).
Mandhana explained the buys.
“Bowling is definitely very important in T20s. This year, we were looking to strengthen our spin unit and also look for overseas pacers who could complement Renuka [Singh] well,” she said.
“With Molineux and Wareham with us, the bowling looks very experienced. We also have the likes of Shreyanka [Patil], [Sophie] Devine and [Ellyse] Perry.”
RCB had a poor outing during the inaugural WPL, finishing fourth in the five-team league and they failed to enter the playoffs.
RCB squad for WPL 2024: Smriti Mandhana, Asha Shobana, Disha Kasat, Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight, Indrani Roy, Kanika Ahuja, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Sophie Devine, Georgia Wareham, Kate Cross, Ekta Bisht, Shubha Satheesh, Sabbineni Meghana, Simran Bahadur and Sophie Molineux.
(With PTI Inputs)