The Story of RCB Women's Team: The First Trophy in Franchise History

“It’s not Ee Sala Cup Namde…..It’s Ee Sala cup Namdu”

This is what the RCB Women’s Team Captain, Smriti Mandhana had to say in her speech after leading her team to the Women’s Premier League (WPL) Trophy. This was the first time the RCB franchise, or RCB Fans, one of the best and biggest in the league, had any taste of success over 16 years of the IPL. It didn’t matter even in the slightest, whether it was the Men’s team or the Women’s. And that’s the beauty of sports, fans eagerly await each victory for their team and stand by them through thick and thin. And for such a large and loyal fan base as the Royal Challengers Bangalore, this trophy was a necessity; it was a full stop to a 16 year long thirst for success, making the RCB Women’s Team's success bigger than it actually is. 

Credit: Mint

In this article by ZAP, let’s dive deep and learn more about the RCB women’s team, the squad, their journey and the reason for their success. 

The Story of RCB Women’s WPL Trophy Victory:

The Women’s Premier League (WPL) was launched by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2023 and was an instant hit, selling out tickets for most of the matches. At the 2023 WPL auction, RCB shelled out a mammoth Rs. 3.4 Crore, to get their captain and one of the finest batsmen in the Indian Women’s Cricket Team, Smriti Mandhana. They also grabbed one of the best all rounders in women’s cricket Ellyse Perry for Rs. 1.7 Crore. They also included experienced players like Richa Ghosh, Sophie Devine and Heather Knight and built a strong core for RCB Women's Team 2023. Even though they had a pretty strong squad for the first season, their performance was rather underwhelming. With only 2 wins in 8 group stage matches, they crashed out of the tournament, finishing 5th out of the 6 teams in the tournament. The main reason for their failure was disappointing performances from their main players, like Smriti Mandhana and Ellyse Perry. 

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Credit: One Cricket

Things changed in the 2024 WPL Season when all their players came with guns blazing, with all their players at their best. Smriti Mandhana churned out great performances up top with the bat and Ellyse Perry showed an exceptional all round display. She even earned the WPL Orange Cap, scoring 341 runs across nine matches with an exceptional batting average of 69.4. RCB’s bowling performances were dominant too, with young all rounder Shreyanka Patil breaking the backbone of the team with her off spin bowling. She even claimed the WPL Purple Cap after picking up 13 wickets including an important 4 wicket haul in the final vs Delhi Capitals Women’s Team. With such dominant displays with both, the bat and ball, RCB were destined to lift the first title in franchise history. 

RCB Women’s Squad and Team Player’s List:

Credit: ESPN Cricinfo

Smriti Mandhana, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Women's team captain, led the team exceptionally well and created a winning atmosphere.  Known for her aggressive batting style, she guided the team to victory in the 2024 WPL season, their first championship title. Supporting her on the sidelines was RCB Women’s Team coach Luke Williams, who took the reins for the 2024 season. Together, this leadership duo built a strong team with a winning mentality.

Combination of domestic and overseas players 

Another reason for the team's success was the perfect combination of overseas and domestic players. The core members of the team were: Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Shreyanka Patil and Asha Shobha. 

By grabbing the trophy in the second edition, Smriti Mandhana proved her credentials as a leader. Earlier, there were doubts if she was the right deputy of Harmanpreet Kaur, but now, it is certain that Mandhana too can be a great leader. She was the anchor of the team. She gave good starts by capitalizing the power plays with her strokes. Moreover, her sharp leadership tactics helped the team a lot. 

Ellyse Perry is one the most experienced players in the world and it’s always beneficial to have her in the same dressing room. Her experience and skills came handy whenever situations were tough for RCB. She provided breakthroughs with the ball and scored plenty of runs with the bat. Not only that, she even won the ‘orange cap’. 

Shreyanka Patil was the find of the season. Before the start of WPL 2024 nobody knew her. But, by the end, she was one of the most followed players in India. She was the highest wicket taker in the tournament and officially ‘purple cap’ of WPL 2024. In 8 matches, she took 13 wickets with her best bowling figures being 4/12 against Delhi Capitals. 

Lastly, it was the mystery spinner- Asha Shobha who bowled tremendous leg spin throughout the tournament. She took crucial wickets in almost every game and became one of the most important players in the squad. 

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