TATA IPL 2024: Smriti Mandhana Praises Team's Resilience Throughout Season
Indian women’s vice-captain Smriti Mandhana commended the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for their remarkable comeback in the latter half of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, securing a spot in the playoffs. Despite losing seven of their first eight matches, RCB won six consecutive games, including a crucial 27-run victory against defending champions Chennai Super Kings at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. This win ensured their place in the Eliminator against Rajasthan Royals in Ahmedabad.
“I just realized that watching the match is much more stressful than actually playing. But really happy that we got a really good score and coming back here reminded me of first playing at the Chinnaswamy. But really happy with the way the boys have fought back throughout the season”, said Smriti in a video posted on RCB’s social media accounts.
Smriti Mandhana, who led RCB Women to their inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) title earlier this year in New Delhi, attended the match alongside her teammates Shreyanka Patil, Asha Sobhana, and Renuka Singh Thakur. They were joined by India teammate Jemimah Rodrigues.
“We also won the first two to three matches and then had a few matches where you could not perform. No one tries to go out and not perform, so it really takes a lot of guts to come back from that position and have a chance to still qualify. That itself shows the character that this team has”, she added.
Shreyanka, the leading wicket-taker in WPL 2024, felt that playing a high-stakes game was easier than watching the game from the stadium. “Definitely playing is easier. For every ball, I am giving some reaction while watching. When you are on the field, you know what’s happening. But when you are sitting out, I don’t know how to express as every ball and moment has a reaction”.
