India's premier Tennis player Sania Mirza has been roped in as the mentor for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the inaugural edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL), which will be played in Mumbai from March 4 to 26.
Mirza announced her retirement from the sport after reaching the final of the 2023 Australian Open mixed doubles event. She finished as runners-up beside her mixed doubles partner Rohan Bopanna.
The 36-year-old is expected to join the squad after the ATP Dubai Open, which is most likely her last professional tournament. "I was a little surprised [at being offered a mentorship role], but I was really excited," Mirza told RCB TV.
"I want to make young girls believe sport can be one of the first career choices for them. I want to help the next generation to believe in themselves no matter how much the odds are against you, you can achieve your goals."
The multiple trophy-winning stars is particularly excited to be working with some of the younger Indian players and helping them deal with pressure.
"The mental aspect of it is something I look forward to working with the younger girls. I feel I can [help] bring in the mental steadiness, the mental belief, I can talk of the experiences I've had over 20 years of playing. Being the only [Indian] woman doing it for so many years has been lonely, but the pressure has been high, that kind of stuff is something I can truly help with," she said.
The Royal Challengers have brought in some of the biggest names in women's cricket, making Smriti Mandhana the most expensive player of the lot. They also brought in Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry and medium-pacer Megan Schutt, New Zealand’s captain Sophie Devine, England’s skipper Heather Knight and South African all-rounder Dane Van Niekerk along with India under-19-star Richa Ghosh for the inaugural season.
The team will open their WPL campaign on March 5, the second day of the tournament, against Delhi Capitals at Brabourne Stadium.
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