"It's highly likely", says Mike Hesson on Smriti Mandhana captaining RCB in WPL

image-le3vrpvcSmriti Mandhana in action [Source: Twitter]

On Monday, the inaugural Women's Premier League auction concluded in a grand style in Mumbai. 

While some teams concentrated on covering the bases, some others managed to assemble a set of marquee T20 superstars. 

The Royal Challengers Bangalore had a great outing in the WPL auction, securing the services of household names - Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt and Sophie Devine. 

So, with plenty of leadership options available, choosing their captain for the tournament has emerged as a happy headache for RCB. 

Meanwhile, RCB's Director of Cricket Operations Mike Hesson has hinted at stylish Indian opener Smriti Mandhana leading the team in the showpiece event. 

In a press conference, Hesson revealed that Mandhana could lead RCB Women, as she possesses decent captaincy experience and knows the home conditions. 

However, the former Blackcaps coach also reverberated that she would be guided by players like Perry and Devine, core members of their leadership group. 

"Smriti has got plenty of captaincy experience. Being an Indian player, she knows the conditions well. So, I think it's highly likely but I guess in a leadership group, you need senior players around you to contribute. We have got three highly experienced international players."

Regarded as a flamboyant stroke player, Mandhana has amassed 2651 runs in 108 T20I innings. Considering the IPL teams' tendency to prefer Indian players for captaincy, she seems to be the most likely option to lead RCB in the WPL 2023.