Smriti Mandhana – Cricket's most expensive woman and a social media megastar!

Indian women's cricket sensation Smriti Mandhana is a pillar of women's cricket and a social media megastar with millions of followers.

The batter has racked up 8.4 million followers on Instagram alone, becoming one of the biggest and most influential athletes in India.

Picture – Instagram @smriti_mandhana

The Indian opening batter is a household name in women's cricket, being the most expensive player in women's cricket history earlier this year.

What to see more like this? Click here to follow us for more sensational sports stories!

In a first-of-its-kind event, Mandhana went under the hammer in the first auction for the inaugural Women's Premier League in India. She was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore for a staggering $413,000.

It's no shock that Mandhana is the most expensive women's cricketer, having several coveted records to her name.

Picture – Instagram @smriti_mandhana

Besides Australian legend Ellyse Perry, the Indian opening batter is the only player to have won the ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year award twice.

Smriti Mandhana is the former world number-one ODI batter in the ICC Cricket World Rankings and the youngest ever captain of the Indian National team (22), men or women.

Aged only 27, Mandhana has already made over 200 appearances across three formats for India (T20, ODI, and Test) and surpassed 2000 runs in both One Day and Test matches.

Only two other Indian women have hit over 2000 runs in One Day Internationals, and Mandhana may have over ten years to build on her run score and be the greatest women's cricketer of all time.

Mandhana is the first cricketer to score ten consecutive 50-plus scores while chasing in ODI cricket and the first Indian women's cricketer to score an ODI and Test century in Australia.

In 2022, she was part of the Indian team that won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the vice-captain in 2023 when India won gold at the Asian Games.

Picture – Instagram @smriti_mandhana

Her excellent play and worldwide following have helped her gain major brand endorsements from global companies such as Nike, Red Bull, Mastercard, Hyundai, and many others.

Picture – Instagram @smriti_mandhana

According to sportskeeda.com, Mandhana earned close to $4 million in 2022, making her the richest women's cricketer in India and the fourth richest in the world.

Picture – Instagram @smriti_mandhana

Her mass influence on social media and in the women's cricketing world in India earned her a spot in the 'Hello India' 100 most influential people list.

Picture – Instagram @smriti_mandhana

According to hellomagazine.com, when asked about women's sports in India, she said: "In the past seven or eight years, women have grown immensely in sports, not just cricket. Female athletes are doing wonders for India and winning us medals and trophies."

"We've progressed, but there's still a long way to go. Hopefully, women will continue to keep getting support and growing in all sports to attract even more participation from across India."

As Smriti Mandhana continues to break records and barriers in women's sports and cricket in India, her millions of followers will continue to grow, making her one of the most influential athletes ever!

Picture – Instagram @smriti_mandhana