After Royal Challengers Bangalore qualified for the Women’s Premier League playoffs, Smriti Mandhana was asked about her most important takeaways from the two contrasting seasons.
She paused for a moment, smiled, and said, “I’ll think about this a lot more deeply when we finish the tournament.” She did go on to talk more about her struggles last year, particularly with the bat.
“In four or five years of international cricket, nothing like that had happened before, and having to deal with it changed me dramatically. I’m not sure what changed, but something deep within me did.”
The girls dreamt about it, worked hard for it, and they did it in style! 🙌🏆
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) March 18, 2024
An extraordinary night! And it’s going to be a special memory for every player and fan for the rest of their lives. 😇
Enjoy watching some raw emotions from last night.#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #SheIsBold… pic.twitter.com/laBRXD1Zzb
Several days later, Smriti Mandhana returned to the press conference room. This time, the trophy was right next to her as she became the first RCB captain to lift the trophy.
Ee sala, the cup was now theirs. And, as promised, Mandhana opened up a little more. What has changed, after all?
“I’ve learned to believe in myself. I assumed that was something I lacked. Last year, for example, if something went wrong, I would doubt myself,” Mandhana said following RCB’s famous victory over the Delhi Capitals.
“That was a real internal conversation, and I need to keep trusting myself. That was the most important lesson I learned.”
It shone through on the night, as RCB recovered from a poor start. The Shafali Verma Show propelled Delhi’s power play.
They raced to 61/0 after the powerplay, and a strong batting lineup appeared poised for a big score. However, RCB regrouped and chose a strategic timeout.
As she walked into a team huddle, Mandhana’s face showed no signs of frustration.
“Even today, six overs sixty. We had some plans that did not work out. Several field sets did not go our way. The only constant, however, was my belief.
I didn’t panic. “I was very calm,” Mandhana recalled of that moment. “That was excellent. I could have a great conversation with the bowlers because the Indian batters were approaching.
So I talked to them about bowling-specific balls and seeing what happens. “Eventually, those wickets arrived.”
The match turned. Sophie Molineux’s three-wicket over triggered a massive Delhi collapse; Shreyanka Patil quickly dismissed the dangerous Meg Lanning, and 64/0 turned into 113 all out.
RCB’s recruitment in focus
The turnaround also brought RCB recruitment to the forefront. Patil and Asha Sobhana performed admirably in patches last year, despite their overall bowling struggles.
The franchise recognized the need for more experience in the spin bowling department. Two of Australia’s best spinners, Sophie Molineux and Georgia Wareham, were drafted in.
While Wareham, the legspinner, was a more obvious choice, they went out of their way to select Molineux, who had not played international cricket since 2021 due to a series of injuries.
Mandhana said a key to their campaign this year was how the management trusted her despite last season’s failings to rebuild. Last year, they assembled a strong squad on paper, but the results were unexpected.
A poor start could not be stopped soon enough. There was no panic during the off-season, however. “A lot of hard work was done behind the scenes, not just by me, but by the entire management team.
It was incredible that they showed such faith in all of us. “You know, the only conversation they had was, ‘This is your team, make it the way you want to’,” she said.
One of the key changes was the appointment of Luke Williams as head coach, and Mandhana praised his influence in the dressing room.
Williams quickly established a rapport, as evidenced by the videos posted by the RCB. His emotional words following a heartbreaking one-run loss to DC were a perfect rallying cry for a stunned team.
“The experience of last year’s campaign and having 12 months to plan, review, and look at the different aspects of how the team should be has been helpful,” Williams said in a statement.
“Smriti has been fundamental in that planning ahead of this tournament and has been very strong in bringing that calmness to the group, which has been important by Smriti in being the leader on and off the field.”
Mandhana, despite being an international star, remains extremely shy in front of the camera. Her awkward behavior during team celebrations is the stuff of a social media legend.
When the trophy was placed next to her at the press conference, she joked that she would have overcome her shyness. “The first thing I did was enter the dressing room and sit.
It’s difficult to celebrate in the way that others do. “I don’t know, there’s a flaw,” she joked shortly after.
Bengaluru will sleep well tonight. 💤#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #SheIsBold #WPL2024 #WPLFinal #DCvRCB @mandhana_smriti pic.twitter.com/jmh42irCgB
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) March 17, 2024
Her batting improved significantly after a disastrous first season, and she finished with 300 runs, including some memorable knocks in Bengaluru.
However, Mandhana’s performance as captain has changed significantly over the last two years. The awkwardness persists, but a leader has been born.
