Virat Kohli Congratulates Smriti Mandhana & Royal Challengers Bangalore For Winning WPL ( Photo Credit – Instagram )
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The first edition of the Women’s Premier League has finally concluded, with Royal Challengers Bangalore lifting the trophy. Smriti Mandhana was the star player who made this victory possible, and while the celebrations continued and congratulatory messages poured in, RCB’s main man, Virat Kohli, also joined the festivities. Kohli congratulated his RCB fellow members on their victory and posted a celebratory message on his Instagram stories.
Kohli was even seen facetiming with Smriti after she brought glory to RCB. Mandhana took the winning check of 6 crore on behalf of the team, saying, “Ee Sala Cup Namdhu.” RCB has grabbed the first title amongst both men’s and women’s teams in the 16-year history of the team, including both IPL and WPL.
Smriti, interestingly, was the most prized asset of RCB in the inaugural auctions, where she was sold for 3.40 crore and bought by RCB. She was retained this year at the same price, and you would be surprised to know how much her every single run costs RCB!
The cricketer, in this second season of WPL, scored 300 runs in 10 matches. While she has been paid 3.4 crore for the season, her every single run costs 1.13 lakh. Her highest score in this season was 80 against UP Warriorz.
Smriti Mandhana WPL Debut VS Virat Kohli IPL Debut
Smriti made her WPL debut in the year 2023 and was a 27-year-old cricketer who was bought for 3.4 crore. Interestingly, Kohli made his IPL debut in 2008, when he was picked from the Under 19 draft for 12 lakh only. He was retained at the same price the next year, in 2009.
Smriti Mandhana VS Virat Kohli’s Performance
For two seasons of WPL, Smriti scored a total of 449 runs. She played 8 matches in the first season and scored 149 runs. Her highest score in season 1 was 37 against Gujarat Giants. In total, Smriti has played 18 matches in two seasons. Coming to Virat Kohli, the star cricketer, played 13 matches in the first season of IPL and scored 165 runs in total. In the second season, he played 16 matches and scored 246 runs. A total of 411 runs, lesser than Mandhana!
Virat & Smriti’s Initial Prices
While Smriti was bought for 3.4 crore in 2024, Kohli was bought for US$30K in 2008. According to the current exchange rate as well, it would be somewhere around 24.8 lakh INR in 2024. However, since Kohli belonged to the U-19 draft in the inaugural season of IPL and Smriti was the most sought-after player at 26, the comparison of their money would ideally be unfair.
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