Smriti Mandhana, vice captain of the Indian women’s cricket team and one of the most prolific openers in the international game, is also a quirky bowler when allowed to be. Her uniquely raw action and penchant to snap up ‘lucky’ wickets were used to good effect by India head coach Amol Muzumdar during a bid to turn his team to a pack of allrounders.
Now, the southpaw’s talents and ‘mean’ right-arm seam bowling have piqued the interest of her franchise in The Hundred, Manchester Super Giants.
With Sophie Ecclestone standing guard behind the stumps in what looked like a quick session of backyard cricket by the boundary rope, Smriti stated she’d bowl “extremely slow” to her compatriot, India and RCB teammate Richa Ghosh. Richa managed to middle the ball but could only deflect it away on the leg side with the ball falling just in front of her. The ball landed on the grass and spun back to hit the training stumps, leaving Richa shocked and Ecclestone and the others in splits. Smriti, too, couldn’t believe what she’d pulled off.
Smriti’s Manchester Super Giants, led by Australian legend Meg Lanning, got off a winning start in its 2026 campaign, with a thumping seven-wicket win over London Spirit. Smriti scored a 14-ball 17 chasing a sub-par 81-run target.
Published on Jul 27, 2026
