'RCB's balance has improved' - Smriti Mandhana exudes confidence ahead of WPL 2024 season

Smriti Mandhana, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain, feels that her team's balance has improved as a result of their recent addition of players ahead of the 2024 Women's Premier League (WPL). Even though they had a lot of star players, RCB only finished in the fourth place in the five-team competition in the first season and missed out on the knockout stages. The team's 2024 WPL season will get underway on February 24 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru when they take on the UP Warriorz.

Mandhana stated that she is hoping that her side could deliver better performances in the upcoming season. She acknowledged that the team was unaware of the players' actions and inactions the previous season, but this time around they will make sure to understand each player's advantages and disadvantages in order to play more effectively.

“I would definitely want it to be better than the first season. From RCB’s point of view, quite a few players were released and we brought in new players. So, the balance has improved for sure, and we are hoping to live up to our potential. Playing in the domestic season helped me practice well and we saw quite a few girls against whom we’ve not played previously. I was able to recommend a few names to my franchise after seeing these girls."

“Last year, when we joined the team two days before the tournament, we didn’t know about 90% of the players. We didn’t know what they did and what they didn’t. This year, it was important to know their strengths and weaknesses so that we can play better. The WPL is a short tournament and it’s difficult to change things when it’s on,” Mandhana said on JioCinema.

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While asked if RCB is a strong contender for the WPL 2024, Mandhana stated that they prefer not to plan too far ahead. She added that despite the team's four consecutive losses, the management had provided excellent support for the players, and this time they wanted to return the favor.

“We don’t want to think too far ahead. We definitely want to do better than last year and are motivated to do it. The people at our franchise are very nice and have supported us immensely, so more than anything else, we want to win the trophy for them. The way they backed us even after four (consecutive) losses last season, the conversation revolved around our well-being. So, as players, it is very important that we respect the backing we are getting, and also try to win the trophy for our fans who supported us so much last season," she said further.

I don’t want to repeat the mistakes of last year: Mandhana

Smriti Mandhana had a forgettable campaign in the WPL 2023, scoring just 149 runs in eight games at an average of 18.62 and a strike rate of 111.19. Recalling her performances, the 27-year-old stated that she would learn from her mistakes from the previous year and hopes to have a strong campaign both individually and as a team. 

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“Last year, I was not able to deliver the performance expected of me. This time, I don’t want to repeat the mistakes of last year and give the team a platform from where we can launch. Our batting line-up is very good. As a captain, I know the players better this time."

“Last year my performance was not up to the mark, and I was wondering where this problem lay. The RCB team and the captain backed me whole-heartedly. In fact, I had given up, but they backed me. This time, I would not want to let them down and am confident of doing well. Last year, I think, I lacked that confidence because of the back injury. Similar views were echoed by Deepti Sharma, all-rounder of UP Warriorz. This time we’ll try to enter the final and also win the trophy. Personally, I want to put up a better performance than 2023," she concluded.