The cameras panned towards Smriti Mandhana as Royal Bangalore Challengers (RCB) defeated Delhi Capitals in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) final on Sunday night. Amazingly, the winning skipper was the epitome of composure. Her expression seemed to be explained by the hardship and disappointment of the team’s first WPL season as well as the perseverance, faith, and teamwork that got them this far.
The 27-year-old Mandhana has distinguished himself both as a hitter and as a motivating captain. The Sangli player had been in the thick of things, whether it was giving her bat to leg-spinner Sobhana Asha Joy following her five-wicket performance against UP Warriorz, talking nonstop to encourage off-spinner Shreyanka Patil after her early-tournament form struggles, or using bowlers shrewdly in tight spots.
When Mandhana, then 22 years old, captained India against England in the opening game of a three-match series in Guwahati in 2019, she became the country’s youngest captain of Twenty20 international cricket. Harmanpreet Kaur was sidelined due to an ankle injury. Despite the fact that India lost that match, Madhana promised to grow from her first captaincy experience. “I gained a lot of insight from my first experience leading the team. “As a captain, I must draw lessons from my mistakes from today; if I don’t, I won’t be able to grow as a captain,” she stated at the media conference following the game.
After five years, Mandhana has matured, gained more stature, and improved her communication skills.
WV Raman, a former Test batter who coached the Indian women’s team during that series, recalled Mandhana’s first captaincy. “I recall telling the press that Smriti is a very intelligent captain when she was named captain against England. She has played a great deal since then, even in foreign leagues, and she has gained experience. Her cricketing acumen is incredible. She has been Harmanpreet’s deputy for India, and she has been very helpful in contributing her ideas in a cool-headed way. “Her confidence heading into the T20 World Cup will be greatly boosted by her time as the captain of the RCB, who won titles,” stated Raman, the national coach for 2019 and 2020.
Ellyse Perry, an Australia all-rounder who was instrumental in the RCB’s victory, gave Mandhana high praise.
Perry stated following her outstanding performance in a league game against Harmanpreet’s team, the Mumbai Indians: “Smriti has led the group exceptionally well.” She has an extremely introverted personality. She has been able to build a relationship with the team and is very focused on getting to know each player, ensuring that she knows she has our support. Although it takes time, there are numerous benefits to that.
After losing their opening five games in the WPL, RCB had a dismal debut season, placing fourth out of five teams. But this time, Mandhana’s leadership contributed to a turnaround.
Regarding Mandhana’s performance as captain of the RCB, Raman expressed his opinions as follows: “Choosing a player at auction is a crucial step in franchise cricket. It was a wise decision to select Australian spinner Sophie Molineux and bolster the RCB bowling unit. I’ve always believed that Smriti is an excellent captain who manages her bowlers, which was helpful during the WPL. Her own success gave RCB the much-needed boost they needed.”
Mandhana, who was acquired by RCB for ₹3.4 crore in the first auction, is now the most expensive cricket player in the WPL.
She chose to play for Maharashtra in the domestic T20 tournament instead of competing in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) during the most recent domestic season. While keeping an eye on the players ahead of the WPL auction, it allowed her to interact with her fellow state residents and become a member of the team.
Participating in the domestic T20 competition and keeping an eye on domestic cricketers with an eye towards the WPL was a deliberate decision. After that, RCB ran a number of camps in the previous year. We also planned to have batting and bowling camps, fitness camps, and training camps. After the WPL final in Delhi, Mandhana stated, “Our plan was to give a platform to domestic cricketers so that they were fully ready for this level.”
Mandhana’s mindset as captain, according to Raman, was essential to the outcome. The WPL championship victory of RCB speaks volumes about Smriti’s leadership and the way her players have met her expectations. When you have a legend like Ellyse Perry and then a spinner like Sobhana Asha, you need a shrewd captain to play to their strengths and win.
Her calm and laid-back demeanour makes her an excellent captain, and her presence greatly contributes to the team’s appropriate atmosphere. Raman, who believes Mandhana can do a great job as Kaur’s deputy in the T20 Women’s World Cup in Bangladesh later this year, said, “It is a huge help for the coach as well.”
Meg Lanning, the former captain of Australia, who captained DC, stated that her team was constantly on guard when Mandhana was at the wicket.
We used to discuss Smriti and how we could get her out of there quickly whenever we encountered India since we knew how dangerous she could be. She is a demonstrated match winner in any circumstance. She has also experienced ups and downs in her leadership journey. Smriti seems to be truly beginning to grasp the nuances of that, according to Lanning.
In the lead-up to the World Cup, BCCI is unlikely to change the India captaincy, but Madhana’s success in franchise cricket has given selectors a lot of options to choose from when they replace the 35-year-old Harmanpreet.
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