Indian opener Smriti Mandhana is all set to become the first Indian cricketer to appear in the Kia Super League - the women's semi-professional T20 tournament hosted by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
The 21-year-old opener, who has over 800 runs in 40 T20I's for India has been signed by Western Storm for the third edition of the league that will feature six teams.
The Indian batswomen also became one of the first Indians to play in the Women's Big Bash League in Australia, where she represented Brisbane Heat. Last month, she captained the Trailblazers team in a Women's T20 Challenge exhibition game ahead of the VIVO IPL Qualifier One.
After securing her signing, Head Coach of the Western Storm Trevor Griffin said, "We are really excited that Smriti will be joining us. She is one of the brightest young talents in the game at the moment. Although she is still young, she has a great deal of experience of the game at the highest level and we believe that she will prove to be an excellent signing."
Looking forward to the new challenge, Smriti said, "I am very excited to be playing for the Kia Super League Champions. To be the first Indian player to appear in the tournament is a real honour and I hope that I can help Western Storm to more success.
At the BCCI awards ceremony a few days ago, Mandhana was awarded the Women's Cricketer of the Year award for her brilliant performances in both the Women's World Cup and the tour of South Africa.
Smriti Mandhana scored two centuries in India's highly successful 2017 World Cup campaign that saw the side finish runners-up after losing to England in a thrilling final.
While Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur was signed by Surrey Stars last year, she had to pull out of the tournament due to a shoulder injury.
[With inputs from ANI]
