WPL 2025: RCB captain Smriti Mandhana exudes faith in squad amid injury woes

Vadodara (Gujarat) [India], February 14 (ANI): Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Smriti Mandhana acknowledged the impact injuries have had on the team before the Women's Premier League 3 season opener but feels there is enough talent and firepower in the squad to overcome the unprecedented setbacks.
RCB will begin their crusade to defend the WPL title against the Gujarat Giants in the season opener on Friday at the Vadodara International Cricket Stadium.
After bolstering their squad in the mini-auction, the RCB camp has been plagued by injuries. The defending champions found themselves in a peculiar spot after losing key players before the commencement of their WPL campaign.
On the eve of the tournament opener, Mandhana exuded confidence in the current roster despite the injury woes and their impact on the franchise.
"Definitely, I think injuries have had a big impact in the last one and a half, two months for us, post the auction. But yeah, I think injuries are something which is not in our hands, and luckily, we had a good auction. We have really good youngsters and people who performed really well in domestic circuits, and also, our overseas replacements are really quality players," Mandhana said in the pre-match press conference.
"So, for sure, I mean, the quality of both the sophies is unmatched. But having said that, I think playing for the people who've been injured, I think that's something which will be in our mind for sure," he added.
Australia spinner Sophie Molineux got ruled out of the tournament due to a knee injury. England's spin all-rounder Charlie Dean was brought in to replace Molineux in the squad.
After Molineux, New Zealand captain Sophie Devine became unavailable for the tournament to prioritize her "well-being" after receiving "professional advice."
The next setback for RCB came when legspinner Asha Sobhana was sidelined for the tournament with an injury. Railways wicketkeeper-batter Nuzhat Parween was called in as her replacement.
Asha played a phenomenal role with her 12 wickets in 10 games at an economy rate of 7.11, which proved to be vital in RCB lifting their maiden WPL title last season. (ANI)