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Smriti Mandhana Demands IPL-Like Format For WPL Ahead Of 2024 Season

image-lps8m44lSmriti Mandhana at an RCB event (x.com)

Explosive Indian opener Smriti Mandhana has expressed her aspirations of participating in a multi-city format season for a Women’s Premier League (WPL) sometime in the near future. The WPL, which had its inaugural chapter played out earlier this year, had all its matches hosted by either the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai or by the city’s adjoining DY Patil Stadium.

The Indian Premier League (IPL), on the other hand, has been competed in home and away formats between all participating teams since the inception of the tournament back in 2008.


Smriti Mandhana wants IPL-styled WPL season

Smriti Mandhana, who captained the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) women’s team back in WPL 2023 earlier this year, is set to reprise her role for the franchise next season.

The senior Indian cricketer recently discussed the possibility of WPL adopting a multi-city format like IPL, and expressed her excitement over the possibility while addressing at the RCB Innovation Lab’s Leaders Meet India in Bengaluru. Expressing her willingness to hear the chants ‘RCB RCB’ from the local crowd at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, she said:

“It would be great to have WPL in the multi-city format. I think that might be the next step and I am sure the people right here would look into it and make it happen. As an RCB fan, I would love to play in Chinnaswamy where people are chanting 'RCB RCB' and just to be in that environment. That is something which is one step ahead for us that it (multi-city format) can reach to places where women's cricket hasn't reached and to get new audience going into women's cricket.”


Back in October this year, Smriti Mandhana found herself among RCB’s 11 retained players for next year’s WPL 2024 season. She is set to reprise her role for the franchise alongside fellow senior members and star attractions Ellyse Perry and Sophie Devine. 


Here is a look at RCB Women’s entire list of retained players for WPL 2024:

Asha Shobana, Disha Kasat, Indrani Roy, Kanika Ahuja, Renuka Singh, Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry (overseas), Heather Knight (overseas), Sophie Devine (overseas).

Under Mandhana’s leadership, the RCB failed to qualify for the WPL 2023 playoffs in Mumbai. The team managed to secure just two wins from their eight fixtures, and eventually finished at number four on the five-team WPL 2023 points table.