Sydney Thunder sign Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma for WBBL 2021-22

Defending champions Sydney Thunder have roped in the Indian duo of Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma for the upcoming edition of the Women’s Big Bash League, scheduled to start on October 14. They have replaced the English duo of Heather Knight and Tammy Beaumont, who both played critical roles for the Thunder in their title-winning campaign last season.

Knight was one of the key performers in the previous edition, having top-scored with 446 runs and picking up 10 wickets at an economy rate of 6.65. Trevor Griffin, the head coach of the Thunder, talked about the void Knight’s absence is going to create, but she also lauded Deepti for being a quality all-rounder. The 24-year-old Deepti is set for her maiden WBBL campaign.

“While it’s disappointing not to be able to have Heather back, if you could choose any replacement for her, it would be Deepti – she’s also a star. She offers a lot with the bat – Deepti is a match-winner – and she also has the talent to bowl in the powerplay, during the middle of a match, or at the death,” Griffin said on the team’s official website.

Griffin also looked forward to having the left-handed Mandhana in the mix. “Smriti is an opening batter who has the tremendous ability to take everything in her stride. I like that she keeps her game really simple; she just wants to score runs. I’m delighted to have her on board, and I have no doubt that she’ll prove to be a great addition to Thunder,” she added.

Mandhana has prior experience of playing in the WBBL, having represented the Brisbane Heat and the Hobart Hurricanes. The southpaw will be going into the T20 league on the back of some impressive knocks for the Southern Brave in the Hundred and Team India on their tour of Australia.

Deepti Sharma excited for her maiden WBBL

Deepti has been a globetrotter in T20 leagues, but she’s yet to get a taste of playing in the WBBL. “This is my first time [in the WBBL], so I’m excited. I’ve had offers before, but I couldn’t play at the time because at the time we had [an international] series,” Deepti said.

She had an impressive campaign for the London Spirit in the Women’s Hundred where she performed with both bat and ball. Apart from being together in the Thunder, Deepti and Mandhana was also a part of the Western Storm in the defunct Kia Super League.