'I don’t want to repeat the mistakes of last year': RCB Captain Smriti Mandhana ahead of WPL 2024

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The inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL) saw another crash of hopes of the Royal Challengers Bangalore faithful, who saw their team crumble and fail to make the playoffs.

Despite having some big stars, the Smriti Mandhana-led team could only finish 4th in the table and thus got ousted from the group stages.

As the new WPL season approaches from February 23, the RCB Women captain is determined to learn from mistakes and showcase a better version of herself in the tournament, both as a batter and as captain.

"I would definitely want it to be better than the first season. From RCB's point of view, quite a few players were released and we brought in new players. So, the balance has improved for sure, and we are hoping to live up to our potential," Smriti Mandhana said to JioCinema.

The southpaw believes their team has a better balance and is determined to win the trophy for RCB management. The India player repeatedly stressed the support they have received from the owners and wants to taste the silverware for them.

"We definitely want to do better than last year and are motivated to do it. The people at our franchise are very nice and have supported us immensely, so more than anything else, we want to win the trophy for them. The way they backed us even after four losses last season, the conversation revolved around our well-being. So, as players, it is very important that we respect the backing we are getting, and also try to win the trophy for our fans who supported us so much last season," she added.

It was a disappointing outing for Mandhana as a batter as well. She only managed 149 runs in eight matches at an average of just over 18. The RCB captain couldn't even go past half-century mark as her highest score was a mere 37 against Gujarat Giants.

"Last year, I was not able to deliver the performance expected of me. This time, I don't want to repeat the mistakes of last year and give the team a platform from where we can launch. Our batting line-up is very good. As a captain, I know the players better this time," she concluded.

RCB are set to open their WPL account against UP Warriorz on February 24 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

The 2nd season of WPL will be played across two cities. The first half of the season starts in Bengaluru and will then shift to Delhi for the latter stages. The two finalists of last year Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals will kickstart the tournament on February 23.