Women's Premier League: Jonathan Batty to be Delhi Capitals' head coach

New Delhi [India], February 11 (ANI): The JSW-GMR co-owned Delhi Capitals on Saturday announced its coaching staff ahead of the inaugural edition of the Women's Premier League, which will be held between March 4-26, in Mumbai.

Jonathan Batty, who coached the Oval Invincibles women's team to The Hundred titles in 2021 and 2022, has been named the team's Head Coach. Batty has also coached the Melbourne Stars in the Women's Big Bash League and the Surrey Women's side.

Speaking on the development, the 48-year old said in a statement by the Capitals, "I am absolutely thrilled to be joining Delhi Capitals as Head Coach for the inaugural WPL. It is a huge honour to have been granted this opportunity by the management, and I cannot wait to work with the team. It is an incredible time to be involved in Women's cricket and the WPL has the potential to transform the landscape of women's professional sport globally."

Delhi Capitals has also appointed former cricketers Hemlata Kala and Lisa Keightley as the team's Assistant Coaches.

Kala, who represented India in 7 Tests and 78 ODIs, has also been the chief of the national selection panel. It was during her tenure as Chief Selector that India reached the final of the ICC World Cup in 2017, a milestone moment for the women's game in India. "I am grateful and excited for this new role with Delhi Capitals. I am looking forward to putting together our squad ahead of the inaugural edition of the tournament, which I am confident will be a game-changer for women's cricket."

Keightley, who played 9 Tests and 82 ODIs for Australia, coached the England women's side to the 2022 ICC World Cup final. She has also served as Head Coach for the Perth Scorchers and Sydney Thunder in the Women's Big Bash League. "I am very excited to be involved with the Delhi Capitals and to be working with so many different players and staff from around the world. WPL is a game changer for women's sports around the world, and we have the opportunity to showcase cricket to a new audience."

Biju George, who had a successful tenure with the Indian women's team, has been named as the side's Fielding Coach. George works in the same capacity with the Delhi Capitals men's side as well.

The inaugural auction for the Women's Premier League will be held on February 13, in Mumbai.

A total of 409 players will go under the hammer during the auction of the inaugural edition of Women's Premier League (WPL), which will be taking place on February 13, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Tuesday.

A total of 1,525 players registered for the inaugural Women's Premier League Player Auction and the final list was pruned to 409 players.

Out of 409 players, 246 are Indians and 163 are overseas players of which 8 players are from associate nations. The total capped players are 202, uncapped players are 199 and 8 are from associate nations.

A maximum of 90 slots are available with the five teams, with 30 being slotted for overseas players.

Rs 50 lakh is the highest reserve price with 24 players choosing to be slotted in the highest bracket. Team India Captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma and India's Under-19 T20 World Cup-winning captain Shafali Verma are among the few Indians who have slotted themselves in the highest bracket.

13 overseas players have also slotted themselves under the Rs 50 lakh reserve price with the likes of Ellyse Perry, Sophie Ecclestone, Sophie Devine & Deandra Dottin to name a few.

30 players are on the auction list with a base price of Rs 40 Lakh. The Auction will start at 14:30 IST.

The five franchises were acquired by the owners of the three IPL teams--Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Delhi Capitals--along with Adani Group and Capri Global for a total of INR 4669.99 crore (about USD 572.78 million). This represents the largest deal ever made in women's cricket. The successful bidders were announced on January 25. (ANI)