Smriti Mandhana - Career, Stats and RCB's WPL Win

Women’s cricket is nowhere near as popular as the men’s format, but the tide has been turning in the past few years. With players like Ellyse Perry, Meg Lanning, Harman Preet Kaur, and Smriti Mandhana and an entertaining and competitive cricket tournament like BCCI’s Women’s Premier League (WPL), the landscape has been changing, and women’s cricket is getting more and more popular in recent times. And one batsman from the Indian Women’s Cricket Team who has captivated all cricket lovers is Smriti Mandhana, also called the Queen of off side shots in cricket. Her batting is so pleasing and effective to watch that people have even compared her to Yuvraj Singh, one of India’s best batsman. Recently, she even immortalised herself as a fan favourite after leading the Royal Challengers Bangalore Women’s team to the Women’s Premier League title, their first ever in franchise history. On top of that, she has even led the Indian side on numerous occasions and is truly one of the best batswomen in the world of women's cricket at the moment.

Credit: Times of India

So, in this article by ZAP, let's learn more about Smriti Mandhana, her cricket career, her stats and records, and the story of how she led RCB to their first title ever. 

Smriti Mandhana – Early life and Domestic Cricket Career: 

Smriti Mandhana was born on July 18, 1996, in Mumbai, and her age is 27 years old. Inspired by her father and brother's interest in cricket, she started playing the sport at a very young age. Her cricket journey began when she was selected for Maharashtra's Under-15 team at nine years old and later for the Under-19s at eleven. She made waves in October 2013 by becoming the first Indian woman to score a double-hundred in a domestic one-day game.

Smriti Mandhana’s International Cricket Career:

Smriti burst onto the international cricket scene in 2014 with a memorable Test debut against England at only 18 years of age. Though she was relatively inexperienced, she quickly started displaying remarkable consistency in both Tests and ODIs and became one of India’s best opening batters. However, Mandhana encountered challenges along the way, including injuries such as an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture during her stint at the WBBL in 2017. She bounced back strong and quickly got back to her best after a year of treatment and recovery.

Also Read: Cricket Injuries

Credit: NDTV Sports

Her exceptional performances did not go unnoticed, winning her prestigious accolades like the ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year in 2018 and 2022. In 2022, Mandhana with the IWCT clinched a Gold Medal at the Asian Games, and later, she was appointed as the vice-captain for India's team in the Commonwealth Games. Though Mandhana has missed out on winning any ICC team title with the Indian Women’s Cricket Team, she’s still without a doubt one of the best opening batswoman ever. 

Smriti Mandhana – RCB’s WPL Winning Captain:

Mandhana, only at a very young age, caught the eye of international leagues, leading her to sign deals with teams like Brisbane Heat in the Women's Big Bash League and Western Storm in the Kia Super League. She's been a trailblazer, becoming the first Indian, along with Harmanpreet Kaur, to play in these T20 leagues.

In 2023, she made headlines when she was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore for a whopping ₹3.4 crores in the Women's Premier League auction and was appointed as the team's captain. 

Despite having a strong quad in the initial WPL season, the RCB Women’s Team performance fell short of expectations. With just 2 victories in 8 group stage matches, they couldn’t even make the playoffs. The primary reason for their downfall was the lacklustre display from key players such as Smriti Mandhana and Ellyse Perry.

Credit: ABP News Live

But Smriti, turned the situation around and did the unthinkable in the 2024 WPL season. Smriti Mandhana, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Women's team captain, led the team exceptionally well and created a winning atmosphere for the team. Under her leadership, RCB won their maiden title in 2024, with her playing a crucial role with her bat as one of the tournament's top scorers. 

Smriti Mandhana – Stats and Records:

Credit: India.com

Smriti Mandhana's stats make evident that she has been performing impressively in every format of the game. She has scored a total of Smriti Mandhana’s 6 centuries and 52 half centuries, with over 6800 runs across Tests, ODIs, and T20Is, showcases her ability to convert starts into substantial scores. Her knack for consistency reflects in her batting average, which is above 40 in ODIs, demonstrating her reliability as a top-order batswoman. Not just her batting average, but her strike rates in ODIs and T20Is exceed over 80 and 120, respectively, and are proof of her fluent strokeplay with aggressive intent when needed. 

FAQ: