"She has become even calmer": RCB head coach on Smriti's evolution as leader

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], February 17 (ANI): Royal Challengers Bengaluru delivered one of the most commanding campaigns in WPL history, clinching their second title after a season defined by consistency, depth and collective impact, according to a statement.
RCB won five matches in a row to open their campaign and suffered just two defeats across the entire tournament before producing a record 204-run chase against Delhi Capitals in the final.
A dominant season capped by a record-breaking finish: The 204-run pursuit was not only the highest successful chase in WPL history, but also the highest successful run chase in a T20 final across both men's and women's cricket, underlining the scale of the achievement.
Across their seven victories this season, including the final, five different players earned the Player of the Match award, a statistic that best captures the collective strength of this RCB side. Every phase of the tournament produced a new match-winner, reinforcing a season built on depth and shared responsibility.
At the centre of a campaign that rewrote record books was captain Smriti Mandhana. Her knock of 87 in the final was the highest individual score in a WPL final, while her 165-run partnership with Georgia Voll set a new benchmark for the highest stand for any wicket in a WPL final. Mandhana also finished as the tournament's leading run-scorer with 377 runs.
Speaking on Mandhana's leadership, head coach Malolan Rangarajan said, "She has always been a very good captain. But now you can see maturity. She has become even calmer, even clearer. With experience, you can see the moves she is making on the field. She was well informed, and she backed it up with the bat when it mattered most."
Role clarity and bold calls powered contributions across the squad: Throughout the season, the team consistently spoke about role clarity. That clarity translated into bold decisions and strong depth across departments.
Gautami Naik became the first uncapped player to register a fifty in the WPL, guiding her side to victory in the process, while Sayali Satghare, roped in as a replacement for Ellyse Perry, scalped nine wickets in six appearances. Grace Harris flourished in her new role as opener, amassing 237 runs at a strike rate of over 178.
Nadine de Klerk and new signing Lauren Bell also made an immediate impact with the ball, finishing among the team's leading wicket-takers with 16 and 12 scalps respectively.
Bell emerged as the most economical bowler in the squad, maintaining an impressive economy rate of 5.33. Shreyanka Patil, returning from a gruelling injury lay-off, delivered the standout bowling performance of the season with figures of 5 for 23 against Gujarat Giants.
Crucial preparation ahead of the T20 World Cup: Mandhana believes the season also served a larger purpose with a T20 World Cup approaching later this year.
"It was huge for us. The WPL came at the right time to switch back into T20 cricket and fine-tune those skills. The tournament gave everyone a chance to focus on and sharpen specific areas of their game. Beyond skills, it also prepared us mentally. Playing in front of big crowds and dealing with expectations, scrutiny and pressure is invaluable. RCB's win is a big boost for our team players vying to make the World Cup squad."
Pre-auction vision and meticulous preparation lay the foundation for success: Despite the dominant run, RCB's success was set in motion long before the first ball of the season
"It was about our strategy pre-auction. Without knowing where you want to head as a team, what the vision is, how we want to play, you cannot go into an auction. To know what team you want to pick, you should know how you want to play and understand what it takes to win the WPL and build your side accordingly, not the other way around," Rangarajan said.
"We did make a couple of unconventional calls, but that was unconventional to the larger public, not to us, because we had studied and done a lot of work behind the scenes to understand how to make it work."
Further reflecting on the season, Rangarajan added, "Having absolute clarity on how we want to play is absolutely essential because that extends into how we build our squad. It was about giving players clarity in their roles, the freedom to work, and giving them the time to do it. If I had to single out the main factor, it would be the preparation and the commitment the girls showed and the buy-in to the philosophy that we had as a team. Clarity is quintessential."
Pre-season prepares squad for high-pressure moments: A pre-season built around role-based simulations ensured that every player understood her responsibilities before the first game.
He said, "The pre-season camp was very, very important. A lot of simulation work for the roles they might potentially play. By the time the first game came, we had a feel for their roles." (ANI)