"I think it was a steal" - Aakash Chopra on Mumbai Indians' acquisition of Harmanpreet Kaur at WPL Auction 2023
Aakash Chopra believes the Mumbai Indians (MI) got a great deal while acquiring Harmanpreet Kaur at the Women's Premier League (WPL) Auction 2023.
The Mumbai-based bought the Indian skipper for ₹1.8 crore at the auction in Mumbai on Monday, February 13. She was their third most expensive buy, with Natalie Sciver (₹3.2 crore) and Pooja Vastrakar (₹1.9 crore) earning more than her.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra highlighted that the Mumbai Indians acquired Harmanpreet at a cheaper price than he expected, elaborating:
"Mumbai said they need the captain of both the men's and women's teams - Rohit Sharma and Harmanpreet Kaur. I felt Harmanpreet Kaur would go for two to two-and-a-half crores, but she went for slightly lesser. I think it was a steal. Because they got her cheap, they got Nat Sciver - she got ₹3.2 crore."
Chopra feels MI have assembled a decent unit, explaining:
"They have an amazing player in the form of Harmanpreet Kaur. Apart from that, they have got Amelia Kerr, Hayley Matthews, Pooja Vastrakar, Yastika Bhatia and they picked Tryon also later - the team is not looking bad. Isabelle Wong is also there. It is a very, very decent team."
The Mumbai Indians spent their entire available sum of ₹12 crore to acquire 17 players. While they have a formidable batting lineup, they might be slightly short in the bowling department.
"She is going to be the captain" - Aakash Chopra expects Smriti Mandhana to skipper RCB in WPL 2023
Speaking of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Chopra expects Smriti Mandhana - the most expensive buy at the auction - to captain the franchise, observing:
"Smriti Mandhana has become the most expensive player in women's cricket. Her name has been written in golden letters. This team has a lot of captains because they have Sophie Devine also and they have kept Ellyse Perry as well. They have assembled a lot of captains but I feel she (Smriti) is going to be the captain."
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Chopra added that RCB fans will hope that Smriti helps the franchise break their trophy duck, stating:
"She wears the No. 18 jersey, Kohli also wears the No. 18 jersey, now both are a part of the same team. Kohli's team have never lifted the trophy. The expectation will be - Ee sala Cup Namde, which the fans of their franchise say."
RCB acquired Smriti Mandhana for a whopping ₹3.4 crore. Richa Ghosh (₹1.9 crore) and Renuka Singh (₹1.5 crore) were their other big-ticket Indian buys.