Smriti Mandhana Has Fallen Short of Expectations: Saba Karim on RCB’s Struggles

WPL 2023: RCB skipper and the most expensive buy, Smriti Mandhana has scored only 88 runs in the first six matches.

Halfway into the competition, the Women’s Premier League (WPL) can be credited for ticking many checkboxes, the most important being – the construction of an unprecedented fandom for women’s cricket in the nation.

All five franchises have tried their best to make their mark in the inaugural edition, albeit not all of them have been successful in their ordeal. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), despite boasting a plethora of iconic stars, have been a tad underwhelming.

Speaking to The Quint in an exclusive conversation, former Indian cricketer and current expert, Saba Karim explained the reasons behind their underwhelming performance, alongside plausible secrets of Mumbai Indians’ dominance.

Here are excerpts from the interview:

Have there been any surprise packages for you in this season of WPL? Any unexpected standout performers?

Not unexpected, really, because I was expecting the domestic talents to come good in this tournament, and we have seen that. Saika Ishaque has been very impressive. Shreyanka Patil, the right-arm off-spinner and lower-order batter for RCB, has also done quite well. As the tournament progresses, I am sure we will see many such exciting cricketers come good.

After the auction, it seemed that RCB had the strongest squad on paper. They had the most expensive purchase in captain Smriti Mandhana, and also a host of international superstars, but nothing has gone according to plans. What do you feeel went wrong?

It has been a combination of factors. Their batting has not clicked, and on the occasions where they did manage to put up some runs on the board, their fielding has not been good. Even in the match against Delhi Capitals (on 13 March), they missed some crucial catches at critical junctures of the game.

But overall, I think the big players need to put in stellar performances for RCB to win. Unfortunately for the team, they have not been able to do that. Smriti Mandhana has fallen short of expectations, and the same can be said about Sophie Devine. Megan Schutt has got so much international experience, but has not been that good for RCB. Heather Knight’s story is also the same.

The kind of team effort people expected to see from RCB, given the names they have on the side, was unfortunately not to be seen. This has really pegged them back.

At the other end of the spectrum, we have Mumbai Indians – by far, the most dominating team in the competition. Do you think MI being the most successful franchise in IPL has helped the franchise inculcate similar ethos into the WPL set-up?

One can say that to a large extent. Mumbai Indians believe in creating a cohesive unit and a conducive environment – these help the players to grow, open up, and play fearless cricket. This mindset is supported by a highly professional support staff. This is why we are seeing MI putting in such incredible performances.

The youngsters from MI are also doing well, because of the support they are receiving from the captain and the staff. We have Saika on one hand with the ball, while on the other hand, we also have Yastika Bhatia who has been good with both the bat and the gloves.

Working as an expert, how would you describe your experience in WPL so far?

It has been exciting so far. WPL is great to watch – the quality has been very good. The competition we have seen between the teams is a treat to witness. It is also great to see the youngsters from India doing quite well. They will take some more time, but at least they have been given the opportunity and platform to showcase their skills.

The best part about women’s cricket is that there are so many all-rounders, and T20 demands that. You will see that every team that 6-7 bowling options to use, and most of them happen to be batting all-rounders. It has been a splendid experience to watch them, and I am sure, this competition will grow manifolds in the years to come.

BCCI recently took a major step in attaining pay equity, by allocating the same match fee to male and female cricketers. Yet, we are yet to see a pay parity, as the central contract remunerations for women cricketers are much less than their male counterparts. Do you think there will be parity in the future?

I am sure BCCI are looking into it. There are many stakeholders who want women’s cricket to grow, which is a positive sign. BCCI have also taken some constructive steps to develop women’s cricket. The board has started a U15 women’s competition, quite similar to the men’s Vijay Merchant Trophy that we have had since the 1970s. This will help the young cricketers do well in the years to come.

This is a period of evolution for women’s cricket in India, it is not only about pay parity between male and female cricket. The whole idea is to build a world-class infrastructure where young girls can pick up the sport and enjoy it. Making sure they look at cricket as a feasible career option as well.

The Indian women’s team has done well in the recent ICC tournaments, albeit faltering at the last hurdle has been an issue. Do you think WPL will help the players conquer their nerves during these crucial knockout matches?

I hope so. I truly believe India is on the cusp of becoming a Women’s World Cup winner. We have come mighty close to upsetting Australia on many occasions, but have somehow missed out. We also need to be patient with the team.

India has so many experienced players, who have finally found their footing at the international level. The experience of playing in overseas franchise leagues has helped some of these players to grow, and now with the WPL, we will see many more domestic players coming through. These same domestic players can also get opportunities to play in overseas franchise leagues, which will help our national team in a massive way.

So maybe, next time the Women’s World Cup happens, we will see India winning the trophy and not faltering close to the finish line.

Saba Karim is a WPL Expert for JioCinema and Sports18.