Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), captained by Smriti Mandhana, is getting ready to defend its championship in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), which will start its third season on February 14.
The WPL’s debut in 2023 was a major turning point for women’s cricket in India, and Mandhana thinks the league has been instrumental in shifting perceptions of the sport. The southpaw remembered a response she made about her ultimate goal for women’s cricket in an interview three or four years prior.
“I recall being asked, ‘What is your greatest dream?’ during an interview three or four years ago. When they asked me about a dream outside of cricket, I naturally said that winning the World Cup was all of those things. I then remarked that the ultimate ideal would be to simply be walking down the street and watching a women’s team play gully cricket. Given how frequently we witness that, I believe that would be my greatest wish. At an event hosted by Sports-Forward Nation, Mandhana remarked, “I mean, the guys play and all of that.”
There are a lot more women playing gully cricket these days: Smriti Mandhana
The opener continued by saying that more ladies are playing gully cricket these days, with two or three girls joining a group of lads.
“You see a lot more ladies playing gully cricket these days as well. Ten or fifteen lads are playing with two or three girls. However, I believe that our team would be simply passing by, in my automobile, or somewhere else in the future. I’m merely observing. There are two women’s teams that play cricket, however there is no professional sport involved. They are merely taking pleasure in the sport. That would be awesome, in my opinion,” Mandhana continued.
In 2024, the RCB won their first WPL championship thanks in large part to the captain’s leadership. Under her leadership, the Bengaluru-based squad recovered well from a dismal first-season performance in which they placed second worst.
As the 2025 season draws near, RCB has added a few players to their roster. The team released six players and kept the Mumbai native and fourteen others. In the most recent mini-auction, RCB acquired important players, such as leg-spinner Prema Rawat, for INR 1.20 crore, and acquired England’s Danni Wyatt from UP Warriorz. At the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara, RCB’s season begins on February 14 against the Gujarat Giants.
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