‘Ee sala cup hoge’ – Fans react as Bangalore women’s franchise appoint Sania Mirza as mentor in Women’s T20 League

The Bangalore women’s franchise caught everyone’s attention in the recently concluded players’ auction for the inaugural edition of the Women’s T20 League. They robbed the costliest player of the auction, Smriti Mandhana, for a whopping 3.4 crores and then went for star players like Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Renuka Singh and Richa Ghosh. It was one of the auction performances to remember as they filled in their 18 players with 10 lakhs remaining in the purse.

The Bangalore franchise made it to the headlines again with a surprise decision on Tuesday as they appointed India Tennis star Sania Mirza as their mentor for the Women’s T20 League 2023. They announced the appointment in a video on their social media handles with the caption, “The pioneer in Indian sports for women, a youth icon, someone who has played Bold and broken barriers throughout her career, and a champion on and off the field. We are proud to welcome Sania Mirza as the mentor of the RCB women’s cricket team.”

Sania Mirza announced her retirement from professional Tennis in January

Mirza, 36, commented about her appointment in the video. She said, “I was a little surprised, but I was really excited because, fortunately, or unfortunately, I have been a professional athlete for 20 years, which is very depressing sometimes when I think of it. But I feel like my next job, when I retire, is to try and help young women and young girls believe that sport can be one of the first career choices for them.

“For me, I feel the kind of things that I did go through – 30 years ago, when I picked up a tennis racquet, it was kind of unheard of at that point. I just want to help the next generation in believing in themselves that no matter how many odds are against you, you can achieve your goals if you back yourself.”

Mirza announced her retirement for Professional Tennis in earlier in January. The WTA 1000 event in Dubai, to be played in February, will be her last tournament as a player. This makes her available full-time to lead the women’s team of Bangalore as a mentor in the Women’s T20 League scheduled to begin on March 4.

Here’s how fans reacted to this surprise decision: