Belief, leadership and big moments: Smriti Mandhana, RCB's true North Star

Every successful team in the history of sport builds around a nucleus. A nucleus that has the power to be an anchor which can harbour any storm and also to itself manifest into a storm that can shatter any harbour. For RCB in the WPL, Smriti Mandhana has been that force. The first-ever pick in the history of the WPL auctions, Mandhana has been a revelation in RCB threads.

Apart from her scintillating batting flair, she led RCB to the WPL 2024 title, and kept her head held high, no matter the circumstances and the dark skies.

Behind all the glamour and fervour, Mandhana endured a rough start. RCB found themselves in uncharted territories, failing to break free from the early jitters in the inaugural season. RCB played their first-ever WPL match against Delhi Capitals and chasing a monumental 224, the Royal Challengers could only garner 163. Mandhana, however, did get a good start to keep the team in the game. Her breezy 35 off just 23 balls set the tone right but a middle-order collapse cost them dearly.

Smriti once again did get the wheels rolling for RCB in their second game with a quickfire 23. Unfortunately, RCB had a lot to show for their early performances as things only went further downhill. Despite failing to impress with the mega-knocks that Smriti is known for, she had belief in herself and her team.

RCB were coming closer as Gujarat Giants survived a late scare in a high-octane battle. But Mandhana’s graph didn’t really take off. In fact, things turned way worse when she fell to Rajeshwari Gayakwad for just four against the UP Warriorz. The critiques were loud, the fans were despondent and the captain, herself still figuring, where things went wrong. Sadly for RCB, they didn’t win a single game in their first four fixtures.

Even the best of warriors suffers haunts that would give them sleepless nights and it's safe to assume Mandhana had entered such a phase. In the return fixture against Delhi Capitals, Mandhana’s downward spiral didn’t really catch a break. RCB’s numbers looked eyesore as the hue and cry was almost deafening.

The shackles broke for the first time in their sixth game of the season when RCB pocketed their first win, thanks to a collective show led by Kanika Ahuja. The team started believing.

RCB then doubled their win tally, breezing past the Gujarat Giants in a heartbeat, courtesy of Sophie Devine’s iconic 99 off just 36 balls. The Captain returned to runs too, knitting together a knock of 37 runs from 31 balls, anchoring the ship as Devine made merry. Sadly, for RCB and Smriti, the joys were transient as they fell to a loss against MI again, concluding their maiden season in the fourth position out of five teams. Smriti finished her first season for RCB with 149 runs at a strike rate of 111.19.

But as the Gun N' Roses once said, “Nothing lasts forever, even the cold November Rain”, RCB’s woes had to disappear too. The very first game for RCB in WPL 2024 was a thriller of the highest order. Smriti’s bat didn’t really flutter but she led the team like none other. She was a storm right at the forefront, egging her players on in a modest defence.

Eventually a fifer from Asha Sobhana got RCB across the finishing line as the moods were lifted. Even before the world could react, RCB were back and so was their skipper. Mandhana blasted 43 off 27 against the Gujarat Giants as RCB secured a comfortable victory in what was an easy chase.

RCB did suffer their third consecutive defeat against Delhi but there was something different in the air. Smriti played a belter of an innings smashing 74 off just 43 balls as they were out for a hunt of 195 runs. Haplessly, the departure of Mandhana, led to a collapse and RCB were restricted to 169.

RCB’s campaign took a very unpredictable turn as they suffered another defeat against Mumbai in what was a forgettable encounter. But they were back strongly in the following clash against UP Warriorz. Mandhana led the charge with a brutal 80 off just 50 balls. She whacked the bowlers into all corners of the park, clobbering 10 fours and three sixes.

She did get a solid start against the UP Warriorz, knocking 24 off 16 in a high-octane chase but it wasn’t enough for her to set the tone. The loss against DC was tough to digest by a run but when the game ended, Smriti ran to Richa Ghosh and as the latter revealed on the RCB Podcast, it was the RCB skipper who told the youngster to believe in herself.

From thereon, the world knows what followed. RCB beat Mumbai in a must-win match as Ellyse Perry stole the headlines. In the following semi-final, they beat Mumbai again and this time, coming together as a unit that just didn’t know when to fold. From the trenches, they did rise like a phoenix as they finally defeated Delhi Capitals for the first time in five games. And it came in the grand final of the season as RCB won their first-ever WPL trophy.

Shreyanka Patil and Sophie Molineux led the bedrock with seven wickets between them while Smriti Mandhana, carved a solid opening partnership with Sophie Devine, making it a cakewalk for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Smriti herself concluded the season with 300 runs at a strike rate of 133.93. Apart from her sensational batting, her captaincy throughout the season was incredible.

2025 wasn’t a season that Smriti would savour in terms of WPL despite a strong start as RCB finished 4th on the points table. However, in India colours, she has turned heads, including a record-breaking run in the Women in Blue's historic World Cup win.

Ahead of the WPL 2026 Mega Auction, Mandhana was retained for INR 3.5 Crore. Her leadership attributes at the top combined with her dream run will undoubtedly make her the cornerstone of RCB's push for glory in the new WPL cycle.