Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Feb 15: 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, she is “someone whom the players can relate and respond to easily in a team environment”.
Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, and Richa Ghosh were among the players that RCB was able to purchase at the WPL Auction. Notably, 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, Rajesh V Menon, Head and Vice President of Royal Challengers Bangalore, said, “We are glad and honoured to welcome Sania Mirza as 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, encourage our team as she herself has been an uber competitive player who understands how to overcome challenges and handle pressure at 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,” he added.
Reacting to this, RCB women’s team mentor, Sania Mirza, who has been honoured 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 resonates 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.”