 "WPL 2024: Smriti Mandhana says RCB's team balance 'has improved for sure'")
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Smriti Mandhana sounded optimistic ahead of the second edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), insisting that the balance of her team has improved greatly this year and it should lead to better results in the season, which gets underway on 23 February.
RCB, who have never won the Indian Premier League (IPL) either despite reaching the final thrice, were off to a disappointing start in the inaugural WPL, finishing second-from-bottom with six defeats in eight matches and missing out on the knockouts as a result.
The team ended up spending close to two-and-a-half crore in the player auction that took place in Mumbai in December to acquire the services of Ekta Bisht, Kate Cross, Georgia Wareham, Sabbineni Meghana, Simran Bahadur, Sophie Molineux as well as Shubha Satheesh, hoping their additions would translate to a top-three finish this time around.
“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,” Mandhana told JioCinema.
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The team had released seven players: Komal Zanzad, Poonam Khemnar, Preeti Bose, Sahana Pawar, Dane van Niekerk, Erin Burns, and Megan Schutt.
The stylish batter said playing the domestic season has not only prepared her well for the upcoming WPL, it also helped her identify a few good players.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“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.”
RCB had released a few members and bought as many as six new players during the WPL auction last December.
“Last year, when we joined the team two days before the tournament, we didn’t know about 90 per cent 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.”
Asked if she considers RCB as title contenders, the southpaw said: “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 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.”
Opening the batting, Mandhana could manage only 149 runs with a highest score of 37 in the first WPL season.
“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,” she said.
Royal Challengers Bangalore will open their campaign against UP Warriors in Bengaluru on February 24.
With PTI inputs
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