New Delhi [India], March 13 (ANI): Sophie Devine, the 36-year-old New Zealand all-rounder, has been valued at Pound 210,000, the highest bid in the inaugural Women's Hundred auction, alongside Australia's Beth Mooney, reflecting on the growth of women's cricket.

Devine, who recently stepped down as New Zealand's T20 captain, expressed her pride in being part of this growth, saying, 'I am privileged and grateful for the opportunity and to be snapped up.'

'Look, certainly exceeded expectations by a fair stretch. The really cool thing for me is just to see where the women's game's gone, from back when I first started, and you got paid 30 bucks for a weekend, to some of the money that was getting thrown around. So, look, I'm certainly really privileged and grateful for the opportunity and to be snapped up,' Devine said as per ESPNcricinfo.

'But more importantly, to see where the women's game's got to... It's hard to believe that it's got to this point, and it's only going to continue to get better. So, yeah, really grateful and humbled. I'm sure I've already had about five or six people come up to me saying it's my shout for the rest of my life. So, yeah, I think it's all good. But for me, it's a really proud moment for the women's game,' she added.

Devine, who recently stepped down as New Zealand's T20 captain after leading the side to victory in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024, will now feature for Welsh Fire as she enters the later stage of her career at 36. She also retired from One-Day Internationals late last year.

The significant rise in player salaries comes after the salary cap for women's teams in the Hundred doubled to Pound 880,000 per franchise. The increase follows new private investment in the tournament, which has brought external investors into ownership or co-ownership roles across all eight teams. (ANI)