3 reasons why Harmanpreet Kaur could be what Rohit Sharma is for MI

Harmanpreet Kaur earned a bumper Women's Premier League contract from the Mumbai Indians earlier today (Monday, February 13) at the inaugural WPL Auction 2023. Kaur was the second name to go under the hammer at the mega auction.

Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians showed enormous interest in her services. Her base price was ₹50 lakh, but it crossed ₹1 crore in no time. In the end, MI roped her in for a massive sum of ₹1.8 crore.

Kaur is among the costliest picks at this year's auction so far. Reacting to her WPL deal, the Indian skipper said in a chat with Jio Cinema:

"It's really great, you know, I have always seen Mumbai Indians doing really well in the IPL, and now I also have the opportunity to be a part of Mumbai Indians team, and I hope we'll make a good team and we'll do what we are there to do."

Mumbai Indians are now the home of the captains of India's men's and women's teams. Rohit Sharma has been a squad member for MI since 2011 and captain since 2013. In this listicle now, we will look at three reasons why Harmanpreet Kaur can play the role of Rohit for Mumbai Indians in the Women's Premier League.

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#1 Harmanpreet Kaur will likely be the captain of Mumbai Indians

India Women v West Indies Women - Women's T20I Tri-Series (Image: Getty)

The biggest similarity in the roles of Rohit Sharma and Harmanpreet Kaur at MI will likely be the captaincy. Since Kaur is the skipper of the Indian women's cricket team, it should not be a surprise if the Ambani family-owned franchise names her as the captain of their WPL side as well.

Kaur has a lot of experience under her belt. She has been the skipper of the Indian team for quite some time now, and her leadership qualities should help MI succeed the way the men's team has under Rohit Sharma.

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#2 Harmanpreet Kaur and Rohit Sharma are big-hitters

Like Rohit Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur has big-hitting abilities. She has hit 46 sixes in her ODI career so far, while she has smacked 70 maximums in T20I matches for India Women.

Sharma has changed the course of the game with his big hits multiple times for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL. Kaur could play the same role for MI in the Women's Premier League.

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#3 Supporting youngsters

Rohit Sharma has played a big role in the rise of multiple current Indian stars. Players like Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan made their India debuts after performing well under Rohit Sharma's leadership for the Mumbai-based team.

Harmanpreet Kaur can do the same job for Indian cricket. During the Women's Premier League, she will get an opportunity to share the dressing room with some uncapped Indian cricketers. If she backs the young players and helps them realize their full potential, Kaur can skyrocket them to the next level and play a role in developing Indian cricket's future stars.

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