India women's cricket team vice-captain, Harmanpreet Kaur became the first Indian women cricketer to sign for Sydney Thunder for the next season of Women's Big Bash League (WBBL). Defending champions of WBBL announced the news on Saturday.
Harmanpreet Kaur was being monitored by three WBBL franchises. She even received another offer from Sydney Sixers. But she opted to sign for Sydney Thunder instead.
The WBBL champions were delighted to secure the signing of the Indian vice-captain. Sydney Thunder's general manager Nick Cummins also mentioned that Harmanpreet was one of their top targets this year.
"We are delighted to secure a player of the calibre of Harmanpreet. She was on the top of our target list, and we are very pleased that the BCCI has released her to play in Australia. Sydney Thunder prides itself on being an innovator in Australian cricket, so it is a real fillip for the club to have signed the first Indian international to play Big Bash cricket in Australia," Cummins was quoted by Cricinfo.
The WBBL franchises are monitoring a number of Indian women cricketers including Jhulan Goswami, Mithali Raj, Smriti Mandhana and few more. But Sydney Thunder were quick to react and they signed Harmanpreet for the next season of WBBL.
Harmanpreet also expressed her joy after she signed for the WBBL reigning champions Sydney Thunder.
"It's a great feeling. The WBBL is a great platform for women's cricketers. Being the first player from my country to sign a contract for a BBL club is one of my best moments.I was looking at a franchise where I would have opportunities to showcase my talent. That's why I was keen on Sydney Thunder," Harmanpreet said.
"My aim is to serve my team to win the WBBL title for the second time in a row. Playing with the best players against the best players is always a great feeling. I would definitely learn a lot of things from them all."
