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England all-rounder Nat Sciver was bagged by Mumbai Indians (MI) for INR 3.2 Crore in the inaugural Women's Premier League auction for the second-highest bid so far, while Australia's all-rounder Tahlia McGrath was secured by UP Warriorz (UPW) for INR 1.4 Crore in Mumbai on Monday.
The bidding war for Sciver was started by MI at INR 50 lakhs and was joined in by Delhi Capitals (DC). UPW made a late entry but was finally clinched by MI. Sciver was recently named Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy winner for the ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year after jaw-dropping knocks and being a non-stop threat with the ball. The sublime all-rounder has produced brilliant performances across all formats and frequently delivered against the highest calibre of opposition. Run-scoring is Sciver's primary quality, and her runs came in a beautiful fashion too, with the right-hander carving out a deserved reputation as one of the most pleasing batters to watch in the game. Tahlia McGrath saw bids from Royal Challengers Bangalore, Gujarat Giants, DC and UP Warriorz. The UPW were able to seize the lanky all-rounder, who has seen a meteoric rise in international cricket, for INR 1.4 crore. Australia batter McGrath's superb performances in the series against India catapulted her to the top of the ICC Women's T20I Player Rankings in December. The 27-year-old became the fourth Australian and 12th batter to top the women's T20I rankings. Australia's Beth Mooney had been at the top since August this year when she overtook Meg Lanning. ICC Hall of Famer Karen Rolton is the other Australian to have been at the top of the rankings.McGrath is No. 1 after only 16 matches. The last woman to reach the top in fewer matches was star West Indies player Stafanie Taylor in 2010 (15 matches) while India opener Shafali Verma has been the fastest in recent years, reaching the summit after 18 matches. A total of 1,525 players registered for the inaugural WPL auction and the final list was pruned to 409 players. The inaugural edition of WPL will be played in Mumbai from March 4 to 26 across two Mumbai venues and the player auction for the same will be held on February 13. (ANI)
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