The Cool Mandhana
The Girls from Royal Challengers Bangalore ( RCB ) wasted no time in seizing the Women’s Premier League in only their second attempt. 17th March 2024 will go down as a red letter day in the annals of RCB’s history, as their longish lean patch for some silverware, eventually ended with the WPL Crown. Smriti Mandhana, the cool and the unassuming leader, shepherd her brave herd as they outclassed Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
RCB Girls : Just Got It Right
RCB did everything right. In Ellyse Perry they have a brilliant sportswoman. A genuine all-rounder, Perry batted her way to the orange cap amassing 347 runs in 9 matches and alongwith Smriti Mandhana ( she scored a good 300 runs ), ensured RCB’s batting stood up to all the challenges. The young Shreyanka Patil with her off-spinners won the purple cap with 13 wickets. She played an important role in RCB’s success collaborating well with the experienced left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux who scalped 12 wickets in the tournament and got the player of the match award in the Final. With Orange and the Purple cap in the bag, winning the WPL was a deservedly logical conclusion to an exceptional campaign by the RCB girls.
Spotlight on RCB Men
This victory, not surprisingly has brought the Men’s Team of RCB into spotlight as the IPL 2024 begins on Friday. The long, arduous wait for over 15 years for an IPL Crown has always been a talking point for the franchise and its fans. More so with big stars and the best players in the world like Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers having marshalled the team all these years. A vacant Trophy cabinet was indeed inexplicable, as if there was some spell or a voodoo hanging on it. However, the WPL victory might have just broken the wicked spell for the Men. A good Omen for a title thirsty RCB.
Quality And Despair
A good Omen indeed, but is it good enough for the RCB Men to lay their hands on the coveted IPL Trophy, is a question to be asked. The answer lies within the RCB team. With due respects to RCB, they always have been a top heavy team. Despite the quality of players they have possessed over the years ( including the great Chris Gayle ), their middle order has been without a spine. They also have been a finisher short always ( barring a flash of sparkle from Dinesh Karthik in 2022 ). In the bowling department as well, barring Yuzvendra Chahal ( who the franchise surprisingly let go ) and to an extent Siraj, RCB have been fragile. Hopefully for the fans, 2024 might have addressed some of the concerns. A good Omen indeed.
A Batting Powerhouse
RCB with Faf and Virat are still top heavy, but we might see a much stronger middle order in Rajat Patidar, Cameron Green and Glen Maxwell. Maxwell has been in some serious form offlate and his last T20 innings in India a few months ago was a stormy hundred. Maxwell will be the key. Rajat Patidar too has come of age as a batter and has an important role to play in the mix. Cameron Green traded by Mumbai Indians after going whole hog for him last year, may just be the kind of player, RCB have been craving for. With these 5 contributing, a lot of pressure would be lifted from DK’s shoulders.
Some Bowling Concerns
In the bowling department, RCB have exquisite pace options ( rather too many I would say ). Siraj and Akash Deep alongwith either Alzarri Joseph ( bought for a massive 11.5 crs ) or Lockie Ferguson could make the XI. However, the spin bowling, which is critical in Indian conditions, is a soft spot for RCB. A lot will rest on Karn Sharma. How he performs would be critical to RCB’s fortunes.
RCB have always ‘flattered to deceive’ might not be an incorrect statement. They again have a promising squad, but this time there is loads of motivation from Smriti Mandhana’s pack.
Finally…A Good Omen .
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