Smriti Mandhana Smashes Second-Fastest Hundred By An Indian—Inside Her ₹33 Crore Fortune, Mumbai, Delhi Homes, Swanky Cars, And ₹3.4 Crore Per Seas...
It’s not every day that a batter changes the face of a sport. Yet that is exactly what Smriti Mandhana – vice-captain of the Indian women’s cricket team – has been doing quietly but spectacularly for more than a decade. Her latest milestone, a 12th ODI century at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh, put her level with New Zealand’s Suzie Bates and England’s Tammy Beaumont for most one-day hundreds by an opener. Add to that her freshly regained No. 1 ICC ODI batting ranking, and you have a player at the peak of her powers just as the Women’s World Cup looms. But Mandhana’s story isn’t merely about runs and records. It’s also about how a girl from Sangli, Maharashtra – nicknamed the “Turmeric City of India”
– turned skill and charisma into one of the biggest personal brands in women’s cricket. From lucrative contracts and endorsements to a small café bearing her initials, the 28-year-old has built an enviable portfolio. Let’s dig into her journey, her wealth and the lifestyle that comes with it.
Rising From Sangli to Stardom
Mandhana was born into a cricket-loving family: her father Shrinivas is a chemical distributor, her mother Smita runs the home, and her brother Shravan works in banking but also played age-group cricket. Her first bat came from a local shop, and she learned her drives on dusty municipal grounds rather than plush academies. Fun fact: she scored a double hundred in an Under-19 one-day match at just 15 years old – still one of the youngest Indians to do so. Even as she became India’s youngest T20I debutant in 2013, Mandhana kept a reputation for being low-key. Her Instagram feed shows glimpses of a warm, tightly knit household rather than celebrity parties, a rarity in an age of curated glamour.
Match Fees, Retainers and Franchise Paydays
According to Financial Express and The Times of India, Mandhana holds a Grade-A BCCI contract worth ₹50 lakh per year. She earns match fees on par with the men’s team – ₹4 lakh for Tests, ₹2 lakh for ODIs and ₹2.5 lakh for T20Is (figures as of 2024). That’s a landmark in itself given how far women’s match payments have lagged historically. Her biggest single payday came via the inaugural Women’s Premier League. Royal Challengers Bangalore snapped her up for ₹3.4 crore per season – the highest salary in WPL history. She also turns out for Southern Brave in The Hundred (England) on a contract worth about USD 75,000 (₹62 lakh) a year, and she has had stints in Australia’s Women’s Big Bash League with Brisbane Heat, Hobart Hurricanes and Sydney Thunder. All told, GQ India estimates her net worth at around USD 4 million (₹33 crore), making her the richest active Indian woman cricketer and fourth worldwide behind legends like Mithali Raj.
Property and Cars: A Taste for the Practical
Despite those earnings, Mandhana’s investments are refreshingly down-to-earth. DNA India reports that she owns a home in Mumbai and a flat in Delhi but continues to live in a spacious apartment in Sangli with her family. The residence doubles as a trophy gallery, gym and home theatre – a nod to her commitment to fitness and downtime alike. Her first car was a Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire bought in 2015; in 2019 she gifted her brother a Hyundai Creta, which still sits in the family garage. She has since added an Audi and a BMW sedan to her collection, though she has never flaunted specific models or prices on social media. For a player known for timing rather than brute force, her garage is similarly understated yet efficient.
Endorsements and Business Ventures
Mandhana’s appeal has attracted a broad slate of brands. As of 2024 she is associated with Red Bull, Herbalife, Hyundai, Boost, Equitas Bank, JBL, PNB MetLife, SBI, Wrangler, Nike, Gulf Oil, Hero MotoCorp and SG Cricket (which supplies her bats). That’s roughly 15 endorsements – a portfolio on par with top male athletes.
She has also dipped a toe into hospitality with SM18 Café in her hometown, a casual eatery themed around cricket memorabilia. Locals swear by its filter coffee and signature wraps, while visiting fans snap selfies under murals of her lofted drives. Within hours of RCB’s WPL title win in March 2024 – the first major trophy in the franchise’s history, male or female – Mandhana’s Instagram following reportedly jumped by a million, taking her past the 10-million mark. In marketing terms, that kind of surge is gold dust.
A Modern Icon With an Old-School Ethic
Mandhana’s rise coincides with the broader commercialisation of women’s cricket. The WPL, described by The Times of India as the richest women-centric franchise league in the world, has raised brand values by up to 30 per cent for star players. Yet Mandhana still projects the humility of a domestic cricketer making her debut rather than a multimillionaire. She’s known to spend off-days with her dogs or in the nets rather than at fashion events, and she rarely makes headline-grabbing statements off the field. Her leadership, too, has been quietly transformative. In March 2024 she became only the second Indian captain after Harmanpreet Kaur to lift the WPL trophy. More strikingly, she achieved something Virat Kohli couldn’t in 16 years at the same franchise: deliver a championship to RCB. For Bangalore fans that’s folklore in the making.
Women cricketers have long been compared unfavourably to their male counterparts in pay and profile. Mandhana’s career shows those barriers cracking – not just through central contracts but also through fan engagement, digital reach and diversified income streams. She is living proof that talent plus relatability can create a sustainable sporting brand. As the Women’s World Cup approaches, eyes will again be on her cover drives and calm presence at the top of the order. But beyond the boundaries and stats, Smriti Mandhana represents a new archetype: an athlete who blends world-class performance with grounded values and entrepreneurial flair. And perhaps that’s why, whether she’s scoring a hundred in Chandigarh or serving coffee at SM18 Café, she’s become more than a cricketer. She’s become a phenomenon.
