MUMBAI: India women’s T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur and left-handed opening batsman Smriti Mandhana have confirmed their participation in Australia’s Rebel Women’s Big Bash competition this season.
While Harmanpreet has renewed her contract with Sydney Thunder, Mandhana will be shifting to Hobart Hurricanes from Brisbane Heat. The southpaw’s previous stint with Heat was cut short due to an injury.
However, she is all set to reunite with Heather Knight, her captain at the Western Storm, the Kia Super League (KSL) franchise for which both play for in England. Mandhana was the top scorer of the KSL 2018 season with 400+ runs.
“I’m really excited to have another opportunity in the WBBL this summer,” Mandhana said.
“I’ve heard from many players that the Hurricanes group is a great squad to be around and I can’t wait to get to Tasmania for the matches.”
Hurricanes’ head coach Salliann Briggs commented on the development:
“Mandhana is a proven performer on the world stage, we saw that just last week with her knock against the Aussies.
“I can’t wait to see her in purple, she’s an exciting addition not only for us but for the whole competition.”
While Hurricanes will begin their season with an away game against Perth Scorchers on 1 December, Mandhana will be available to play her first game for the team a week later, which will be a home fixture against Melbourne Stars.
On the other hand, Harmanpreet has not been India’s leading run-scorer in T20I cricket in 2018, but also was named the Thunder’s Player of the Season in her first outing in Australia in 2016. This will be her third stint with the franchise and she is all set to play the team’s first game of the season against Melbourne Renegades in Melbourne.
