WPL Auction 2023: Richa Ghosh's smashing strike against Pakistan wins her expensive RCB deal

Richa Ghosh, who showed off her brilliant skills at T20 World Cup match against Pakistan on Sunday, grabbed the headline at Women's Premier League (WPL) auction too. On Monday, she become the most expensive Indian wicketkeeper after Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) bought her for a whopping ₹1.90 crore. Wicketkeeper-batter Ghosh, who is popular for her power-hitting game, smashed an unbeaten 31 off 20 balls against Pakistan Women, featuring five boundaries.

Ghosh's auction triggered a bidding war between Delhi and Bangalore, with both teams tussling until her value rose to ₹1.70 crore before things cooled down. The auctioneer, Mallika Sagar, conducted two more rounds of bidding before RCB emerged as the winner at ₹1.90 crore.

Ghosh's father, Manabendra Ghosh, expressed his pride and excitement over his daughter's selection for RCB and the prospect of her sharing the dressing room with some of the biggest names in cricket. He also expressed optimism that the WPL will help to revolutionize women's cricket.

“We have a lot of expectations from her, but I'm more excited about she sharing the RCB dressing room with some of biggest names, in which some are her good friends,” Manabendra Ghosh told hindustantimes.com over the phone. He is optimistic that WPL will “revolutionise women cricket”.

Speaking about her Sunday's match, the senior Ghosh noted: “She has got her rhythm back. The World Cup is prior must and we as Indians demand the World Cup.”

Aside from Ghosh, Yastika Bhatia, who was also part of India's playing XI against Pakistan, was bought by Mumbai Indians for ₹1.5 crore. Bhatia's base price was ₹30 lakh, and her bidding saw interest from Mumbai and UP camp.