'Was Able To Recommend Few...,' Smriti Mandhana On RCB's Planning Ahead Of WPL 2024
Smriti Mandhana | Source: X.com
The Women's Premier League (WPL) 2024 is all set to kick off from February 23 after a successful season last year, where the Mumbai Indians Women emerged as the inaugural champions of the tournament.
The opening game of the tournament will see the Mumbai Indians take on the runners-up from the previous season, the Delhi Capitals, at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
Royal Challengers Bangalore will commence their tournament campaign on February 24, facing off against the UP Warriorz at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. RCB had a challenging season last year, finishing second to last on the points table.
However, as the 2024 edition of the Women's Premier League approaches, Royal Challengers Bangalore Women's captain, Smriti Mandhana, asserts that the team's balance has strengthened with the new additions to the squad this year.
Mandhana expressed her aspirations for her team to deliver improved performances in the upcoming season. She also admitted that a lack of awareness regarding the players' strengths and weaknesses in the previous season was the reason behind their poor performance.
Here’s what smriti Mandhana told JioCinema:
"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.”
When questioned about RCB's chances in WPL 2024, Mandhana mentioned they are not big on long-term planning. She noted despite the team's four losses in a row, the management's been super supportive, and now they're keen to pay it back.
Smriti Mandhana had a tough run in WPL 2023, managing only 149 runs in eight matches with an average of 18.62 and a strike rate of 111.19. Heading into WPL 2024, she will be looking for a better outing this time around.
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