Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women’s (RCB-W) captain Smriti Mandhana has shared her honest views on watching RCB matches, calling it a stressful experience.
27-year-old Smriti Mandhana earlier this year became the first RCB captain to win a major trophy as she guided her star-studded RCB-W lineup to the 2024 WPL title.
The high-voltage final of the WPL was played between Delhi Capitals Women (DC-W), led by Meg Lanning, and Royal Challengers Bangalore Women (RCB-W), led by Smriti Mandhana, on Sunday, March 17 at the Arun Stadium Jaitley of Delhi. RCB-W won the match by 8 wickets while chasing a small target of 114 runs.
Smriti Mandhana played a key role in RCB-W’s success as she scored 300 runs in 10 matches at an average of 30.00 and a strike rate of 133.92. He reached two fifties in the competition and his best knock of 80 runs was against UP Warriorz.
Meanwhile, Smriti Mandhana was present at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru for the IPL 2024 virtual knockout match between Ruturaj Gaikwad-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Faf du Plessis-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Saturday, May 18 . He watched the match from the stands along with his RCB teammates Shreyanka Patil, Asha Sobhana and Renuka Singh, as well as star cricketer Jemimah Rodrigues.
In the match, Royal Challengers Bengaluru posted a massive total of 218/5 on the board and then restricted CSK to 191/7 to win the match by 27 runs. With the victory in the match, RCB sealed the fourth and final spot in the Indian Premier League 2024 playoffs.
I just realized that watching the game is much more stressful than playing – Smriti Mandhana
Smriti Mandhana was elated after RCB qualified for the playoffs and speaking in a video shared by Royal Challengers Bengaluru on their official social media handles, she praised the players for their exceptional fight.
“I just realized that watching the match is a lot more stressful than actually playing. But I am very happy that I got a good score and coming back here reminded me of my first time playing at Chinnaswamy. Happy with the way the boys have defended throughout the season,” stated Mandhana.
Smriti Mandhana further praised the character of the RCB stars for coming back strongly from a difficult position to seal a playoff spot.
“We also won the first two or three games and then we had some games where we couldn’t perform. Nobody tries to go out and not perform, so it takes a lot of courage to come back from that position and have a chance to qualify. That shows the character this team has,” Mandhana added.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru will next be seen in action when they take on Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League Playoff 2024. The match will take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 22.
