Follow UsSmriti Mandhana, captain of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025, apologized to the fans of the franchise, who packed the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru up to the rafters, after her team failed to win even a single home game out of the four that they played at the venue.
Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony after their loss against the Delhi Capitals on March 1 (Saturday), Mandhana said, “Really hard one for the fans who came out and supported us in huge numbers. I would just say sorry because they came out in huge numbers. We couldn't win a match in Bangalore. They're still chanting RCB - there's a reason they're the best fans in the world.”
Raghvi Bist, who batted so slowly that it built pressure on other batters and, although she hit two sixes and took three doubles, was able to score only 333 off 32 balls. Did RCB ever think of retiring her out to give another player a chance to try and score quickly?
Mandhana said that it would have been really harsh on the 20-year-old. “Raghvi is a 20-year-old. She was trying her best. We definitely did not think that (retiring Raghvi). The way she ended her innings was good for her,” said the 28-year-old, who also looked all over the place in the Bengaluru leg.
Capitals became the first team to make it to the playoffs, making it a hat-trick of playoffs for the Meg Lanning-led side. The skipper acknowledged the hard yards put in by her players to achieve the milestone.
“I thought everybody turned up today with a great mindset. We've been able to take wickets upfront, which has put the brakes on teams. It's a different person for each game. We don't rely on one or two players. That's been the strength for us,” Lanning said in the post-match presentation.