After formally signing with the recently renamed Manchester Super Giants, India’s vice captain and opener Smriti Mandhana will make her comeback to The Women’s Hundred in 2026. As one of the most renowned batters in the world joins a team going through a big transition in preparation for the upcoming season, the news, which was announced on January 15, is a significant development for the tournament and the brand.
After the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group (RPSG) purchased a 70% ownership in Manchester Originals in collaboration with Lancashire Cricket, the team was renamed the Manchester Super Giants. Despite having a new identity, the team will still play its home games at Emirates Old Trafford.
Sanjiv Goenka, the owner of the Manchester Super Giants, spoke candidly about the Manchester franchise’s integration into the Super Giants family, describing it as the start of a new era in UK cricket that is based on ambition and steady expansion.
One of the most reliable batters in the early years of the event was Smriti Mandhana.
After playing for the Southern Brave Women from 2021 to 2024, Smriti Mandhana is back at The Hundred. The left-handed opener scored 676 runs in 29 innings with a strike rate of 139.09 during her four-season tenure, including five half-centuries. She became the first player to reach 500 runs in the history of the Women’s Hundred and was one of the most reliable hitters in the early years of the competition. Back-to-back fifties in 2023 and a successful 2022 season in which she was the Southern Brave’s leading scorer were among her best results.
Her signing comes after an outstanding 2025 campaign in which she was instrumental in India’s first-ever ICC Women’s ODI World Cup victory. Smriti Mandhana has continued to play well in the Women’s Premier League, anchoring the top order and contributing significantly for Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women.
A new coaching system has also been unveiled by the Manchester Super Giants. Justin Langer will lead the men’s team, Matthew Mott will coach the women’s team, and Tom Moody has been named Global Director of Cricket. The team has signed players like Jos Buttler, Heinrich Klaasen, Noor Ahmad, and Liam Dawson for the men’s division.
India
