Smriti Mandhana has been named an icon player for the first Women's Maharashtra Premier League (WMPL). The tournament will take place at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Gahunje from June 24.
The MCA has announced that the franchise-based T20 tournament, featuring four teams, will be held under the aegis of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The MCA announced in a release that it will be the first association from the BCCI to launch a state league for women.
In addition to Mandhana, the other icon players are Devika Vaidya, Anuja Patil, Kiran Navgire, and Shraddha Pokharkar.
The tournament's inaugural edition will offer a prize of INR 20 lakh for the winning team and INR 10 lakh for the runner-up, along with other individual prizes.
The team auction will be held on April 27, while the player auction will take place on May 11.
In June of this year, the Cricket Association of Bengal [CAB] will launch the Bengal Pro T20 tournament, a franchise-based T20 tournament that includes a women's event.