Tennis legend Sania Mirza has been named as the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) team’s WPL 2023 mentor. Before the tournament’s first season, Mirza, who has won six Grand Slam titles and 43 WTA titles, will work with the team because, in the words of the franchise, “the players can relate and respond to her readily in a team atmosphere.” Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, and Richa Ghosh were among the players that RCB was able to purchase at the WPL Auction. Mandhana went for a record sum of Rs 3.4 crore, making it a particularly memorable occasion for him.
On the appointment of Sania Mirza as a mentor, Rajesh V Menon, Head, and Vice President of Royal Challengers Bangalore, said, “We are glad and honored to welcome Sania Mirza as a mentor of the RCB women’s team. She is the perfect role model with her success stemming out of her sheer hard work, passion, and determination, despite many challenges in her playing career. Sania is someone our young generation looks up to and she can motivate, and encourage our team as she herself has been an uber-competitive player who understands how to overcome challenges and handle pressure in various situations at the highest level of sports. Her stature and gravitas as well as her attitude will inspire and bring the much-needed panache to transform the team with a Bold Personality.”
In her new role as RCB women’s team mentor, Sania Mirza, who has been honored with Padma Bhushan, Arjuna Award, and Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, said, “It is a pleasure for me to join the RCB women’s team as a mentor. Indian women’s cricket has seen a tectonic shift with the Women’s Premier League, and I am really looking forward to being a part of this revolutionary pitch. RCB and its brand philosophy perfectly resonate with my vision and outlook as that’s how I have approached my playing career and it’s also how I see contributing to sports post my retirement. RCB has been a popular team and a much-followed team in the IPL over the years. I am immensely happy to see them building a team for the Women’s Premier League as it will push women’s sports to new heights in the country, open new doors to women cricketers, and help make sports the first career choice for young girls and young parents with a girl child.”
