Rajendra Prasad Mohapatra

Odisha cricketers were once again neglected as none of them were sold in the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction in Mumbai on Monday.

A total of 21 Odia women cricketers were included in the initial auction list for the upcoming WPL to be played from March 4. 
However, eight of them were shortlisted for the final list. Unfortunately, none of the franchises showed interest in buying them.

Moreover, former senior India cricketer Swagatika Rath’s name was only mentioned during the auction process. Base price of Swagatika, who plays for Railway Sports Promotion Board, was Rs 30 lakh. She eventually went unsold.

Similarly, international cricketers like right-hand batter Madhuri Mehta and spinner Rasanara Parwin from Odisha also went unsold. Base prices of both the cricketers were Rs 30 lakh each.

Other Odia cricketers who went unsold were Sujata Malik, Sushree Divyadarshini, Kajal Jena, Priyanka Priyadarshini and SB Lorence.

While 10 Indian women get crore-plus deals, there were several big names that went unsold.

Strangely, one of the most destructive batters in world cricket, New Zealand’s Suzie Bates failed to attract even a single bid.

Meanwhile, India’s superstar batter Smriti Mandhana fetched the highest amount in the auction. The Royal Challengers Bangalore bagged her for a record Rs 3.60 crore. Mandhana is the top contender to be the captain of the side as well.
 

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