Jhulan Goswami:<\/b> Mumbai Indians bowling coach and mentor Jhulan Goswami has credited the franchise\u2019s scouting team for identifying emerging talent after they signed six uncapped Indian players at the Women\u2019s Premier League (WPL) 2027 auction, saying the process of tracking potential recruits continues throughout the year.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Mumbai Indians entered Wednesday\u2019s auction in Kochi with the lowest purse of Rs 90 lakh and completed their squad by signing six uncapped players, including Shweta Sehrawat, Disha Kasat, Latika Inamdar, Bharti Rawal, Saanika Chalke and Akshita Bhagat.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWhatever players we picked at their base price this time, they have that ability, and they have been performing quite well consistently for their state teams. Picking several players at base prices shows how hard our scouting team is working. And scouting is a round-the-clock process since you have to follow matches, irrespective of whether they are happening in India or outside India. And because of them, it becomes easy for us when we come to the auction table, knowing who our targets are,\u201d Jhulan told Jio Star.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
She also highlighted the importance of assessing a player\u2019s mentality alongside performances while selecting talent for the franchise.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cOur job as a coach is to look at young players who score runs on a regular basis in domestic cricket, take wickets, bat at a good strike rate, and win matches for their team. The most important thing is: do they have that winning mindset? Because performances can be up and down, but you must have that mindset with which you can take the team ahead and make the team win,\u201d she said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Delhi-based Shweta, who was retained by UP Warriorz in 2026, attracted a bidding contest between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals before being signed by MI for Rs 20 lakh, double her base price.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Jhulan said the Mumbai Indians had made a strong effort to sign India batter Kiran Navgire but had to withdraw from the bidding after reaching their financial limit.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWe tried our best and went as far as we could for Kiran Navgire, but unfortunately, we didn\u2019t get her. And that\u2019s how the auction dynamics work. She is an impactful player. So, we definitely expected quite a few teams to go after her. But at the same time, we had other options. Thankfully, we got most of the players we wanted. So, yeah, the auction was very good, and we are all very happy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Mumbai Indians made an early bid for Navgire but pulled out at Rs 70 lakh, with Delhi Capitals eventually signing the batter for Rs 75 lakh.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Jhulan added that the franchise managed to secure almost all its preferred targets despite the limited budget, with Shweta being the exception among its Indian domestic recruits in terms of price expectations.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI think, more or less, 95 to 97 per cent of the players we had targeted, we got them, except Kiran Navgire. We didn\u2019t get her. But we knew it was going to be a challenge. We didn\u2019t have the budget to go further than what we did. But all the other Indian domestic players that we had targeted, we more or less got all of them at their best prices, except Shweta Sehrawat. So, yeah, we are very happy with the auction,\u201d she said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWe came into this auction with the lowest purse of Rs 90 lakhs, so we had to plan and prepare, keeping that challenge and accordingly different options in mind. And when you face challenging situations, your best performance comes out, both on the cricket field and off the field,\u201d Jhulan added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI think, more or less, 95 to 97 per cent of the players we had targeted, we got them, except Kiran Navgire. We didn\u2019t get her. But we knew it was going to be a challenge. We didn\u2019t have the budget to go further than what we did. But all the other Indian domestic players that we had targeted, we more or less got all of them at their best prices, except Shweta Sehrawat. So, yeah, we are very happy with the auction,\u201d she said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Also Read: <\/b> Special Cricket Stories<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n