Mumbai Indians performed brilliantly in the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2024 mini auction in Bengaluru on Sunday. The Reliance-owned franchise bought Nadine de Klerk, G Kamalini, Sanskriti Gupta and Akshita Maheshwari.
Teenager Kamalini was the most expensive player for MI, with the five-time Indian Premier League winning franchise spending Rs 1.60 crore for the Tamil Nadu all-rounder.
Nita Ambani, Mumbai Indians owner and wife of Reliance Group owner Mukesh Ambani, expressed her satisfaction with the team built by Mumbai Indians for the WPL 2025 season, also underlining the team's vision and desire to bring back youth.
Speaking after the auction in Bengaluru on Sunday, Nita Ambani said, “We are all very happy and satisfied with the team we have built today. Auctions are exciting and emotional at the same time. I am so proud of all the girls who participated in the auction today and are now part of the Mumbai Indians family: G Kamalini, Nadine de Klerk, Sanskriti Gupta and Akshita Maheshwari.”
Mumbai Indians also managed to add the highly rated and much-awaited G Kamalini to the roster. 16-year-old Kamalini from Tamil Nadu made her India U-19 debut against Pakistan U-19 in the U-19 Asia Cup. “We are very excited about 16-year-old Kamalini this year. Our scouts have been tracking her for some time now and she is a very exciting new talent. So, overall, a satisfying day at the auction,” said Nita Ambani.
The left-hander from Tamil Nadu has the ability to hit big sixes and was the second-highest run-scorer (311 runs in 8 matches) in the U-19 T20 tournament, which Tamil Nadu won. Wicketkeeper-batter Kamalini, who can also bowl leg-spin like MS Dhoni, has undergone rigorous training at the Super Kings academy in Chennai.
Starting at a base price of Rs 10 lakh, there was a tough competition between the Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals franchises for Kamalini.
Nita Ambani welcomed all the four new players with a message, saying, “We heartily welcome you to the Mumbai Indians family. Mumbai Indians have always tried to discover, nurture and develop young talent. We have done this with our men’s team, and it is a matter of pride to see Bumrah, Hardik and now Tilak representing India on the global stage. We are trying to do the same with our girls. Last year, we picked Sajna in the auction. Now it is wonderful to see her playing for Team India.”
Mumbai Indians, the first-ever WPL champions, have added four players to their 18-member squad which includes Kamalini, South African all-rounder Nadine de Klerk, Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Sanskriti Gupta and Rajasthan pacer Akshita Maheshwari.
