Royal Challengers Bangalore has roped in the Indian tennis legend Sania Mirza as a mentor for the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League. The tournament kickstarts from 4th March with a clash between Gujarat Giants and Mumbai Indians.

Confirming the development on Twitter, RCB wrote, “The pioneer in Indian sports for women, a youth icon, someone who has played Bold and broken barriers throughout her career, and a champion on and off the field. We are proud to welcome Sania Mirza as the mentor of the RCB women’s cricket team.”

This seems to be a great appointment as Mirza will bring years of experience competing at an elite level, albeit in a different sport. She is the most successful tennis player in the country, winning six major titles in the doubles and mixed doubles category, and played her last grand slam earlier this year in Australian Open.

Mirza, who will hang up her boots after the ATP Dubai Open, said she was surprised by this opportunity but is excited to work with the next generation of cricketers.

“I was a little surprised but I was really excited,” said Mirza to 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.”

“That aspect of it, the mental aspect is something I look forward to working with the girls. What IPL has done for men’s cricket, if that can be done for women’s cricket, playing sport can become a natural option for young girls,” she added.

As far as RCB is concerned, they paid INR 3.4 crore to acquire Smriti Mandhana in the auction, and she is likely to lead the franchise. They also added the Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry, Indian pacer Renuka Singh, and Kiwi all-rounder Sophie Devine. Megan Schutt, Richa Ghosh, and Dane van Niekerk are among the other major stars in their squad list.