International career
Smriti Mandhana was born on 18 July 1996. She is an Indian cricketer and the vice-captain of the Indian women's national team. Mandhana is one of the best opening batters in cricket history. She plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Women's Premier League and represents Maharashtra in domestic cricket.
Mandhana has many achievements. She ranks third for most international centuries and ODI centuries. She has won four ICC Awards, including Cricketer of the Year and ODI Cricketer of the Year. In 2018, the BCCI gave her the Best International Cricketer Award. The ICC named her Cricketer of the Year in December 2018.
In December 2021, she was nominated for T20 Player of the Year and Cricketer of the Year. In 2022, she won the Cricketer of the Year award again. In 2025, Mandhana won the ODI Cricketer of the Year award.
2013
- Debut in WODI: April 10, 2013, against Bangladesh at Ahmedabad.
- Debut in WT20I: April 5, 2013, against Bangladesh at Vadodara.
2014
- Test Debut: August 13–16, 2014, against England at Wormsley. Mandhana scored 22 and 51 in her first and second innings.
2016
- Maiden International Hundred in WODI: In the second ODI against Australia, Mandhana scored 102 off 109 balls, though India lost the match. She was the only Indian player in the ICC Women’s Team of the Year 2016.
2017
- World Cup Recovery and Return: After recovering from an ACL injury, Mandhana made her return in the 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup.
- Player of the Match: Scored 90 against England in Derby, leading India to a 35-run victory.
- Second ODI Century: Scored 106 against the West Indies in the World Cup.
- World Cup Final: Part of the team that reached the final, but India lost to England by 9 runs.
2018
- Fastest Fifty in T20I: Scored 50 off 24 balls against New Zealand in February.
- ICC Awards: Became ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year and ODI Player of the Year.
- ICC Women’s World T20: Mandhana scored 1,000 runs in WT20Is, becoming the third Indian to do so.
- Player of the Series: Named the player of the series in WODIs against England.
2019
- Captaincy in T20I: In February 2019, became India’s youngest T20I captain at 22 years and 229 days.
- CEAT International Cricket Awards: Won the International Woman Cricketer of the Year award in May.
- 2,000 Runs in WODIs: In November, became the third-fastest to score 2,000 runs in WODIs in 51 innings.
2020
- ICC Women’s T20 World Cup: Was part of India’s squad for the tournament in Australia.
2021
- Test Century in Australia: Scored her first Test century in a one-off match against Australia in August. She became the first Indian woman to score a century in both ODIs and Tests in Australia.
- Named in Women’s Cricket World Cup Squad: Selected for the 2022 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.
2022
- Vice-Captain in Commonwealth Games: In July, was named vice-captain for India’s team at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
- Asian Games: Part of the Indian team that participated in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
2024
- Record in T20Is: Scored 763 runs, the most by any player in a single year in T20Is. She also scored 30 half-centuries, surpassing Suzie Bates' record of 28. Mandhana became the second Indian to score fifty-plus runs in three consecutive T20Is, after Mithali Raj.
- ODI Milestones: Became the fastest Indian woman cricketer to score 4,000 runs in ODIs.
- Series Record: Scored the most runs in a bilateral T20I series by an Indian woman (193 runs against South Africa).
2025
- Fastest Century in ODIs: On January 15, 2025, Mandhana scored her fastest century in 70 balls and became the first Indian female cricketer to score 10 centuries in ODIs.
- Highest Run-Scorer in ICC Women’s Championship: Mandhana became the highest run-scorer in the 2022–2025 ICC Women’s Championship.
Leagues Participation
Smriti Mandhana has played in several major leagues. In the Women's Big Bash League, she represented Brisbane Heat in 2016–2017, Hobart Hurricanes in 2018–2019, and currently plays for Adelaide Strikers since 2024. She also participated in The Hundred, playing for Southern Brave from 2021 to 2024. Mandhana is part of the Women's Premier League, where she has been playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru since 2023.
Women's Big Bash League
Smriti Mandhana has participated in the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) for several teams. She began her WBBL career with Brisbane Heat in 2016–2017, where she was one of the first Indian players to sign for the league. She then moved to Hobart Hurricanes in 2018–2019 and later joined Adelaide Strikers for the 2024 season. Over her WBBL career, she has played 38 matches, scoring 784 runs at an average of 24.50 and a strike rate of 130.01.
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Year
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Team
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Notes
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2016–2017
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Brisbane Heat
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Mandhana joined Brisbane Heat for a one-year deal, becoming one of the first Indians to play in the league. She scored 89 runs in 12 innings but was ruled out after injuring her knee during a match against Melbourne Renegades.
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2018–2019
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Hobart Hurricanes
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Mandhana played for Hobart Hurricanes in the 2018–19 season of WBBL, continuing her participation in the league.
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2024–present
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Adelaide Strikers
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Mandhana joined Adelaide Strikers for the 2024 season. However, her debut was unsuccessful as she scored only 6 runs in the first match and was dismissed by Shikha Pandey of Brisbane Heat.
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The Hundred
Smriti Mandhana has been a prominent player for Southern Brave in The Hundred. She was retained for the 2022 and 2023 editions of the tournament, where she made significant contributions, including scoring 46 runs off 25 balls against Oval Invincibles in 2022. Mandhana became the first player to score 500 runs in the history of The Hundred by the end of the 2023 season. In 2024, while Mandhana continued to perform well, she missed some matches due to her participation in the 2024 Asian Cup.
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Year
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Team
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Notes
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2021–2024
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Southern Brave
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Mandhana played for Southern Brave in The Hundred from 2021 to 2024. She was retained for the 2022 season, where she scored consistently. In 2023, she became the first player to score 500 runs in the tournament's history. In 2024, Mandhana missed some matches due to her participation in the 2024 Asian Cup.
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Women's Premier League
Smriti Mandhana has been a key player for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Women's Premier League since its inception in 2023. In the inaugural WPL auction, she was bought for ₹3.4 crores, making her the highest-bid player, and was appointed as the team captain. Under her leadership, RCB won their first-ever WPL title in 2024, following a challenging season. Mandhana finished as the second-highest run scorer in the tournament, playing a vital role in her team's success.
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Year
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Team
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Notes
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2023–present
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Royal Challengers Bengaluru
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Mandhana was bought for ₹3.4 crores by Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 2023 auction, making her the highest-bid player. She was appointed as the team captain and led RCB to their first WPL title in 2024, finishing as the second-highest run scorer.
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Domestic career
Smriti Mandhana's domestic career began at a young age, inspired by watching her brother play in the Maharashtra state Under-16 tournaments. She was selected for the Maharashtra Under-15 team at the age of nine and made it to the Under-19 team at eleven. In October 2013, Mandhana achieved a major milestone by becoming the first Indian woman to score a double-century in a one-day match, scoring an unbeaten 224 runs for Maharashtra against Gujarat in the West Zone Under-19 Tournament. She continued to shine in domestic cricket, scoring three half-centuries in the 2016 Challenger Trophy for India Red and helping her team win the title, finishing as the top scorer with 192 runs.
Records and achievements
Smriti Mandhana has set numerous records and received prestigious awards throughout her career.
Records
- Most international points in a calendar year (2024): 1,602 points across all formats, setting a world record.
- Most points in a women’s T20I in one year (2024): 763 points.
- Most points in a three-match ODI series (2024): 343 points against South Africa.
- Most points in seven separate matches in a year: First player in history to achieve this.
- Most points in an ICC Women’s Championship (2022–2025): Top scorer during this period.
- Fastest century in terms of balls (January 15, 2025): Scored 100 runs in just 70 balls and became the first Indian female cricketer to score 10 centuries in ODIs.
Awards
- BCCI Awards (2018): Best International Cricketer.
- ICC Awards (2018): Cricketer of the Year, ODI Cricketer of the Year.
- Arjuna Award (2019): For outstanding performance in sports.
- International Female Cricketer of the Year Award, CEAT International Cricket Awards (2019).
- Young Achievers Award, Stardust (2017).
- Navbharat Times Award (2019).
- ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year (2024).
- BCCI Awards (2025): Best International Cricketer, Highest ODI Run-Getter.
Personal life
Smriti Mandhana was born on July 18, 1996, in Mumbai, Maharashtra. She comes from a Marwari Hindu family. Her father, Shrinivas Mandhana, worked as a chemical distributor, and her mother, Smita, was a housewife. When she was two, her family moved to Sangli, where she grew up and went to school. Her father played district-level cricket, and her brother, Shravan, works as a bank manager.
Finance
In 2025, Smriti Mandhana’s net worth is estimated at INR 32 to 33 crore (around $4 million).
Family
Mandhana has been dating music composer and filmmaker Palash Muchhal since 2019. Her family has supported her throughout her career, with her father being a former district-level cricketer.
Cars and House
Mandhana lives with her family in Sangli, Maharashtra. The house features a cinema room, a library, a gym, a garden, and a cottage with her cricket trophies and awards.
Her car collection includes:
- Range Rover Evoque – ₹70 lakh
- Hyundai Creta – ₹21 lakh
- Maruti Suzuki Swift – ₹12 lakh
Mandhana also owns an Audi and BMW, but the exact models and prices are not shared.
Scandals
In 2018, Mandhana shared how some team members called her a “child” and bullied her. She saw this as part of growing up and a challenge to handle.
Fans
Mandhana has a large fan following. She has 12 million followers on Instagram.
