Smriti Mandhana set to become 1st Indian to play in Kia Super League

New Delhi: Indian women's cricket team opener, Smriti Mandhana, will become the first player from her country to appear in England's Kia Super T20 League beginning July 22.

Smriti was signed by Western Storm ahead of the upcoming edition that features six teams.

The 21-year-old has scored over 826 runs with a highest score of 76 in the 40 T20 Internationals she has played so far.

Mandhana has also played for Brisbane Heat in the Women's Big Bash League in Australia.

Last month, she captained the IPL Trailblazers in the one-off exhibition game organised by the BCCI.

"We are really excited that Smriti will be joining us. She is one of the brightest young talents in the game at the moment. Although she is still young, she has a great deal of experience of the game at the highest level and we believe that she will prove to be an excellent signing, said Western Storm coach Trevor Griffin.

Looking forward to the new challenge, Mandhana said: "To be the first Indian player to appear in the tournament is a real honour and I hope that I can help Western Storm to more success."