Not Thinking About What Has Happened: Smriti Mandhana On RCB Women's Poor Performance Compared To Men's Team

There is absolutely no doubt that all eyes will be on Smriti Mandhana in the second edition of the WPL. One of the best batters in the world for quite some time now, the left-hander will be leading Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) once again.

She was the captain of the team in the inaugural season too and had endured a disastrous campaign both as a captain as well as a batter. Smriti Mandhana as well as RCB struggled throughout the competition. The Bengaluru-based outfit finished at the 4th spot in the five-team competition after managing just a couple of wins in 8 games.

They began their campaign with five losses in a row. They were looking destined to end at the bottom of the points table but two wins helped them avoid the wooden spoon. The Smriti Mandhana-led side finished its campaign with a defeat against eventual winners Mumbai Indians.

Smriti Mandhana eyeing fresh start:

As the RCB women’s team struggled in WPL 2023, they were constantly compared with the men’s team by the fans. RCB men’s team is yet to win the IPL in 15 attempts. However, Smriti Mandhana has said that she and her teammates are not affected by the men’s team’s record and eyeing a fresh start in WPL.

“For us as RCB women’s team, we are all starting it as new. We are not thinking about what has happened in terms of RCB as a franchise. RCB is a massive franchise and the only thing more than pressure, if we go on to win the title, the kind of happiness that the loyal RCB fans will get is something which I am looking forward to,” Smriti Mandhana told Sportskeeda.

The India star would also be eyeing a good season with the bat after struggling in the previous season. In 8 games in WPL 2023, she managed a modest 149 runs at an average of less than 19 and a top score of 37. Meanwhile, the auction for the next season of the WPL is scheduled to take place in Mumbai on Saturday (December 9).