Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 12 : Smriti Mandhana endured a tough Women's Premier League (WPL) 2025, both as a captain and a batter. Leading a team that failed to reach the knockout stage and struggling with inconsistent performances herself, it was a season to forget for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper. The defending champions from 2024 finished second-last, barely ahead of bottom-placed UP Warriorz, thanks only to a superior net run rate.
Despite the setbacks, Mandhana's final press conference of the season--following an 11-run victory over Mumbai Indians--showed her resilience and maturity. Rather than appearing dejected after a disappointing campaign, she displayed a sense of wisdom and pragmatism. Almost philosophically, she lamented how RCB could have topped the table had they seized a few crucial moments.
RCB began their title defense on a strong note, winning their first two matches. However, a five-match losing streak soon followed, effectively ending their hopes of making the knockouts. Several factors contributed to their struggles, including injuries to key players like Asha Sobhana, Shreyanka Patil, and Sophie Molineux, who had been instrumental in their 2024 triumph.
"Yeah, we were just having a joke post the match that we started the season on a high, ended it on high and midway, we just lost somewhere," Mandhana said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"Pretty much that sums up our season. But yeah, having lost a lot of players from last season post the auction, definitely we had our thinking shoes on in between the auction and the season. But the way we started, I really thought that we are in it," she added.
One of the biggest setbacks was their poor home form. Unlike the previous season, where RCB won three out of five matches in Bengaluru, they failed to win any of their four home games this year. The disappointment was compounded by two heartbreaking defeats.
A four-wicket loss to Mumbai Indians, where the opposition won with just one ball to spare and a thrilling tie against UP Warriorz, which RCB eventually lost in the Super Over.
"I think in Bangalore, a lot of things didn't go our way," Mandhana said as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"But I am really proud of the way the team showed the character. Losing a lot of close matches is not easy on a team and I think we lost first two to three matches, which were pretty close. But everyone was really positive, which is something I am really pleased [about] as a captain. You win or lose. Sometimes in franchise cricket, these things go your way and you win it. But when it doesn't go your way, and the team sticks together is a team for me," she added.
As the tournament progressed from Vadodara to Bengaluru, Lucknow, and Mumbai, teams winning the toss consistently opted to chase, taking advantage of favourable conditions.
RCB, however, lost all four tosses at home, forcing them to bat first each time. With conditions favoring chasing teams and big totals proving difficult to defend, they found themselves on the back foot.
Adding to their woes was Mandhana's personal dip in form during this phase. With their captain struggling for runs, the team heavily relied on Ellyse Perry, who played a lone hand with the bat. Perry's exceptional form placed her second among the tournament's top run-scorers and made her the leading run-getter in WPL history.
"Sometimes, there's something called cricketing God, which I believe a lot in," Mandhana said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"You do a lot of things right and in the last two or three overs, things don't go your way. We won [the title] last year by winning those moments. And this year, in the first two matches in Bangalore, we couldn't make those moments ours, which is, I feel, a turning point for us, especially the first two matches," she added.
"Looking back, I wouldn't want to throw anyone under the bus saying that would have changed it. We all, together as a team, could have contributed a lot more. Me as a batter in the mid phase, I was not able to score a lot of runs," she noted.
"I think especially the Bangalore leg, losing the toss, not many teams could actually put up more than 160, but we could do that only because the way she [Perry] batted out there. Just really good to have her around the team, around all the Indians as well, because [there's] a lot to take from her, lot to learn from her. And I am sure a lot of people in the team watch her and try and take a lot of things from her. And I hope that it only grows well for Indian cricket because people like that make you work really hard," she said.
Despite RCB's disappointing campaign, there were some bright spots. One of the biggest positives was the explosive batting of Richa Ghosh, whose strike rate of 175.57 was the highest in the team (among players who faced at least 30 balls).
The wicketkeeper-batter smashed 13 sixes and 25 fours, scoring 230 runs off just 131 balls in the tournament. She ended RCB's season on a high with a breathtaking knock against Shabnim Ismail, scooping and reverse-scooping the experienced pacer while also reverse-sweeping Hayley Matthews for boundaries. Her aggressive 36 off 22 balls provided a glimpse of her immense potential.
"She is just amazing to watch," Mandhana said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"I have seen her grow throughout the last three seasons of WPL and with the Indian team. The way she can change the game single-handedly is a sight to watch. When she is out there, the other dugout can't sit peacefully, and no equation is less or more for her," she added.
"I mean for us to chase 223-odd runs [against Warriorz] and just losing by ten runs and the way she batted... For batters like us, we see smaller side [of the boundary], but for batters like Richa, they just see the ball and hit with their power, of course," she noted.
"The variety of shots is something she has really worked on. People always just relate Richa with a lot of power but the cuts, the reverse sweeps today, which she switched hit. A lot of things have gone into a lot of work and her work ethics have been really good for the past year. [I am] really happy for her, and I hope she keeps going because she batting like that is amazing signs for Indian cricket," she said.