Smriti Mandhana will play for Manchester Super Giants in the women’s edition of The Hundred, beginning today. She’s in her fifth Hundred season but her first with Manchester after three years with Southern Brave. Meg Lanning will captain the squad.

Mandhana finished as India’s leading run-scorer at the recent T20 World Cup with 205 runs across five innings at a strike rate of 140.41 and an average of 41. Those numbers say what matters: she scores quickly, she scores often, she doesn’t get stuck. Manchester Super Giants got a player in form.

Why The Hundred Changed Hands

Franchise cricket shuffles players to keep things interesting. Three seasons with one squad means Mandhana knows Southern Brave’s system, the bowlers, the fielding patterns. Switching to Manchester means she starts fresh, and the league gets a storyline. Her fifth Hundred becomes a new beginning.

The Indian Contingent

Four Indian women feature across The Hundred’s eight franchises. Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, and Richa Ghosh. They’re the only Indian national team members competing. The men’s side doesn’t get approval to play in overseas leagues. The women got that freedom, which is why you see talent deployed globally.

What to Expect

Manchester Super Giants will be aggressive. Lanning’s teams play attacking cricket. Mandhana thrives when given the license to hit. Put her at the top of the order, let her swing from ball one, and she’ll give you starts. She averaged 41 at the World Cup. She’ll do damage in The Hundred.

Manchester Super Giants’ first match comes in the women’s draw. Mandhana’s reputation for aggressive play precedes her. Oppositions know to be ready from the first over.