Smriti Mandhana will be leading Royal Challengers Bangalore in WPL 2023. They play Delhi Capitals on March 5.
RCB WPL 2023 News: More than pressure, the excitement of Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2023 has gripped Smriti Mandhana and the whole Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) team, the skipper said ahead of the franchise’s opening encounter against Delhi Capitals.
RCB open their campaign against Delhi Capitals on March 5 at the Brabourne Stadium.
“Everyone is excited for the first match. I think more than pressure, it’s an amazing thing which is happening, Women’s Premier League,” Mandhana told reporters during the pre-match press conference on Saturday in Mumbai.
Mandhana was the most expensive player bought in the auction for Rs 3.4 crores. Brushing aside the monetary excitement, the India opener opined the team is really gelling well and are enjoying each and every moment together and are focusing to play quality cricket.
“I wouldn’t say that we are under too much pressure, but we are enjoying every moment and the whole team is really really looking good. We just want to go out there and play the best cricket,” added Mandhana, who scored two half-centuries for India in the T20 World Cup last month.
The southpaw also thanked the management for giving her the opportunity to lead the side. “In the last 10 years, the way they had the men’s team, I am really excted to be leading RCB and am really thankful to the management for giving me that opportunity.
“It’s really amazing to be around the girls and the experience of playing these matches will definitely help a lot of girls as how to handle the pressure in future,” she added.
Besides Mandhana, RCB have a fantastic roster in terms of international recruits – Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight, Sophie Devine, Richa Ghosh, Dane van Niekerk in their ranks.
Among the domestic players, the notable names are Komal Zanzad, Shobhana Asha, Indrani Roy (toured England with Indian team in 2021) and Preeti Bose.