Hundreds of delighted Indian fans have this week hailed England's Lauren Bell as the 'world's most beautiful cricketer' after she signed for WPL side Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Bell, a 24-year-old six-foot-two seam bowler, was snapped up by the Indian side for a whopping £76,000 at Thursday's auction alongside a host of her fellow countrywomen. 

World No 1 bowler Sophie Ecclestone will join UP Warriorz, Danni Wyatt-Hodge has signed for Gujarat Giants and Nat Sciver-Brunt agreed a deal with defending champions Mumbai Indians. 

But it's Bell's transfer which has left the native Indian fans most excited, as hundreds flooded to the Englishwoman's Instagram to welcome her to the league. 

'The most beautiful woman cricketer Lauren Bell will now play for the most beautiful franchise,' one comment read. 

'We are very excited to see you playing for RCB team,' read another. 

'Welcome to RCB cutie,' one more added. 

Bell was most recently a part of the England team which travelled to India for the Women's Cricket World Cup last month. 

The Three Lions exited the tournament at the semi-final stage when they suffered a thumping 125-run defeat to South Africa. 

Bell made her international debut back in June 2022 after impressing domestically. However, opening up on her rise to the top last month, she admitted that cricket wasn't her favourite sport growing up. 

'If you asked probably like 7-8-year-old Lauren, she would be in a full football kit running around with shin pads on,' she told ESPN. 

'My grandad always bought us Manchester United kits and I was always in the garden playing football. Like kids spend their time doing different things, I was always playing football.'

She was a part of Reading's academy at one point, but ultimately chose a career as a cricketer after being pushed by her parents to pick between the two sport.

'My parents were like, you need to choose,' Bell added. 'That was when I made the decision that I'll follow cricket. I haven't played football since, which is a bit sad, but I've not really looked back since then.' 

Bell has gone from featuring as a reserve for England at the 2022 Women's World Cup to now being one of her country's most crucial players. 

She's placed No 24 in the ICC World Rankings for bowlers and admitted last month that her ascent has been 'crazy'. 

'Looking back to being a reserve, it was beyond my expectations,' she told the BBC. 

'To see how far I've come and how quickly everything has moved, and the responsibility I've got to opening the bowling and sometimes leading the attack, I have loved it all. 

India eventually won this year's tournament after beating South Africa by 52 runs in front of some 45,000 fans in Mumbai. 

It marked an incredible turnaround for the Indian Women, who lost three consecutive group stage games before emphatically turning their fortunes around.