Sydney Thunder sign Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma

The Indian duo have been recruited as replacements for England internationals Heather Knight and Tammy Beaumont

WBBL 07 full squad lists

Sydney Thunder have recruited Indian internationals Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma ahead of the 2021 Women’s Big Bash League.

The duo replace England pair Heather Knight and Tammy Beaumont, who have made themselves unavailable for Thunder’s title defence.

Batter Mandhana has previously represented Brisbane Heat and Hobart Hurricanes in the WBBL, scoring 407 runs, including two half-centuries, at a strike rate of 129.61. The 25-year-old has also made 81 T20I appearances for India, scoring 1,901 runs, and recently starred in their shock ODI victory over Australia, posting 86 of 94 balls.

Allrounder Sharma is yet to feature in the WBBL but has previously impressed in both the Kia Super League and The Hundred. The 24-year-old, who has 54 T20I caps for India, has scored 1,550 runs and taken 117 wickets in 107 career T20 appearances to date and is ranked fourth in the ICC’s T20 allrounder player rankings.

^{Sydney Thunder won WBBL 06 with Tammy Beaumont and Heather Knight (bottom right) in their ranks}

Commenting on his new signings, head coach, Trevor Griffin, said: "[Mandhana] is world class. Smriti is an opening batter who has the tremendous ability to take everything in her stride. I like that she keeps her game really simple; she just wants to score runs. I’m delighted to have her on board, and I have no doubt that she’ll prove to be a great addition to Thunder.

"While it’s disappointing not to be able to have Heather [Knight] back, if you could choose any replacement for her it would be Deepti – she’s also a star. She offers a lot with the bat – Deepti is a match winner – and she also has the talent to bowl in the powerplay, during the middle of a match, or at the death. Deepti is a great addition to the Thunder, and I have no doubt she’ll go a long way to helping us in this year’s competition."

Mandhana added: "Playing in overseas leagues gives you a lot of experience, especially in the T20 format. Then, of course, you exchange so much experience with each other... with all the players from over the world... so you get to learn a lot. Rather than 'pressure', I always look at it as an opportunity to learn, and to get used to that pressure because it only builds when you play international cricket."

Sharma voiced her excitement at securing a WBBL contract, stating: "This is my first time [in the WBBL], so I’m excited. I’ve had offers before, but I couldn’t play at the time because at the time we had [an international] series. It’s a big thing for Indian women’s cricket that we have the opportunity to play in the WBBL. We have to express ourselves in the competition."