India Women duo Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana will both feature in the upcoming Women’s Big Bash League season after penning contracts with Sydney Thunder and Hobart Hurricanes respectively.

Kaur, Thunder’s Player of the Tournament in 2016-17, inked a one-year extension with the franchise, while Mandhana, after an impressive Kia Super League campaign earlier this year, joined the Hurricanes for the upcoming season.

Kaur amassed 296 runs from 12 innings at an average of 59.20 for Thunder in her last stint with the side. Her performances in the KSL 2018, where she scored 164 runs for Lancashire Thunder at 32.80 and a strike rate of 151.85, was further indication of the value she brings to T20 sides.

Mandhana was in even more impressive form in the KSL – she was the leading run-getter for the 2018 season, scoring 421 runs at a whopping average of 60.14, while striking at a fine 174.68.

The duo also had decent outings for India at the Women’s World T20 2018 this month, before they were knocked out by England in the semi-final.

Mandhana is very excited about the chance to showcase her skills at the Big Bash. “I’ve heard from many players that the Hurricanes group is a great squad to be around and I can’t wait to get to Tasmania for the matches,” she said.

The Hobart coach Salliann Briggs is also very keen to have the stylish left-hander on board. “Mandhana is a proven performer on the world stage, we saw that just last week with her knock against the Aussies,” she said.

“I can’t wait to see her in purple, she’s an exciting addition not only for us but for the whole competition.”

The fourth edition of the Women’s BBL starts will begin on Saturday, December 1.