Smriti Mandhana, captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), acknowledged a mixed Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025 season for both herself and her team. While RCB began and concluded the tournament strongly, a series of defeats in the middle phase prevented them from reaching the knockout stages. Despite being the defending champions from 2024, RCB finished near the bottom of the table this year.
However, Mandhana’s demeanor at the post-match press conference after their final game, a victory against Mumbai Indians, was positive. She expressed a sense of wisdom and pragmatism, viewing the season’s end on a positive note rather than dwelling on disappointment. Reflecting philosophically, Mandhana suggested that seizing crucial moments could have dramatically changed their season’s trajectory, potentially even placing RCB at the top of the league.
RCB’s campaign began promisingly with two consecutive wins, but this momentum was halted by five subsequent losses, ultimately costing them a spot in the playoffs.
Mandhana commented on their season, stating it was like starting and ending on a high note, but losing direction in the middle. She noted the team composition changed significantly after the auction compared to the previous title-winning season. Despite these challenges, their initial performance gave her hope for a strong season.
RCB faced setbacks with injuries to key players like Asha Sobhana, Shreyanka Patil, and Sophie Molineux. A significant disappointment was their inability to win at home, losing all four home matches, a stark contrast to their success in Bengaluru in 2024.
Adding to their home woes, RCB suffered two heart-breakingly close losses at their home ground, including a narrow defeat to Mumbai Indians and a Super Over loss against UP Warriorz.
Mandhana reflected on their home leg, acknowledging that factors didn’t favor them. Despite the losses, she expressed pride in the team’s resilience and character, especially after close defeats early in the home games. She emphasized the team’s positive attitude throughout the season, highlighting team unity as a key takeaway, regardless of wins or losses in the unpredictable nature of franchise cricket.
Another factor affecting RCB’s home games was the toss. Teams winning the toss consistently chose to chase, and with conditions favoring the chasing team, RCB, after losing all four tosses at home, were put in to bat first by their opponents. Mandhana also experienced a dip in her personal form during this home stretch, increasing the team’s dependence on Ellyse Perry for scoring, though their totals often proved insufficient.
Ellyse Perry’s exceptional form, however, placed her high among the top run-scorers in the tournament and overall in the WPL history.
Mandhana mused on the role of luck in cricket, believing that despite doing many things right, crucial moments slipped away, unlike the previous year’s championship run which was defined by winning those critical junctures. She pinpointed the initial home games as turning points where they failed to seize those moments.
Taking a reflective stance, Mandhana avoided blaming individuals, emphasizing collective responsibility for not contributing enough as a team. She specifically pointed out her own reduced scoring in the middle phase of the tournament.
Mandhana reiterated that in the Bangalore leg, losing tosses often meant teams struggled to score beyond 160, a target RCB managed only due to Perry’s batting prowess. She lauded Perry’s presence and influence on the team, particularly for younger Indian players, hoping her example would inspire and elevate Indian cricket.
A bright spot for RCB was Richa Ghosh’s powerful hitting. With the best strike rate in the team, Ghosh’s aggressive batting provided significant impetus. Her performance in the final game, particularly against experienced bowler Shabnim Ismail, showcased her ability to dominate.
Mandhana praised Ghosh’s game-changing capabilities and her growth over the WPL seasons and with the Indian team. She highlighted Ghosh’s impact on opposing teams and her ability to make any run chase seem manageable.
Reflecting on a high-scoring match against Warriorz where RCB fell short, Mandhana underscored Ghosh’s fearless approach to batting. She also noted Ghosh’s expanded shot range beyond power hitting, including cuts and reverse sweeps, attributing it to dedicated practice and strong work ethic over the past year. Mandhana expressed happiness for Ghosh’s progress and its positive implications for Indian cricket.
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