IPL 2020: Smriti Mandhana names the cricketers she’s cheering for in the tournament

Indian women’s cricketer Smriti Mandhana has been ardently following the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Though the southpaw isn’t supporting a specific team, she named a few players, whom she is cheering for in the tournament.

The left-handed batswoman named Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni and AB de Villiers as the ones she’s rooting for in the cash-rich tournament. Among the four, Rohit and Dhoni are the two most successful captains in the prestigious league.

“I am watching all the matches. I am quite biased with all the players and I have not got one team to support. I am not being diplomatic; I actually don’t have one team to support. I am supporting Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni,” Mandhana was quoted as saying to India Today.

I have just become a huge fan of Samson, says Smriti Mandhana

She’s also turned into a fan of Sanju Samson. The latter is currently representing the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and already has a couple of half-centuries to show for his efforts. On the back of his fifties, RR, captained by Australia’s Steve Smith, won their first two games against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kings XI Punjab (KXIP).

The 24-year-old Mandhana lauded him for his ‘crazy’ batting and also showed her keenness to learn from the other players in the IPL.

“The way young guys are batting is very inspirational to see. I think Sanju Samson, the way he is batting I have just become a huge fan of him. I have started supporting RR because of him. The way he is batting is crazy, next level batting. I am thinking to learn from everyone who is batting and bowling well,” she added.

Mandhana has been a class act for the Indian women’s team. She last played in the Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia back in March, but couldn’t make an impact. She also missed one of the matches against Bangladesh.

If reports are to be believed, the Women’s T20 Challenge will be played between November 4 and 9 when the IPL playoffs will take place. If the tournament happens, then Mandhana is expected to make her return to competitive cricket after eight months.