Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) broke the bank for India vice-captain and batting mainstay Smriti Mandhana, who became the most expensive player in the history of Women’s Premier League during the 2023 auction on Monday. At the Jio Convention Centre in Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex, the franchise shelled out a mammoth INR 3.4 crore for Mandhana, who had a base reserve price of INR 50 lakh. 

Mumbai Indians (MI) and RCB engaged in a fierce bidding war, but the former dropped out as her price quickly breached the 3-crore mark, with Bangalore eventually sealing the deal. As a consequence, Mumbai were forced to amend their auction strategy after Mandhana’s record signing with RCB. Mumbai later bought 17 players, including six overseas professionals, utilising their entire available purse money of INR 12 crore.