At the RCB Unbox event, Virat Kohli and the Royal Challengers Bangalore men’s team paid tribute to Smriti Mandhana and her victorious WPL squad with a guard of honor.
During the RCB Unbox event at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, the Royal Challengers Bangalore men’s team honored Smriti Mandhana and her team for their remarkable performance in the recently concluded Women Premier League. Mandhana, leading the women’s team, proudly held the WPL 2024 trophy as the men’s team formed a guard of honor.
Defeating Delhi Capitals, RCB women won the WPL trophy in only their second year, a significant achievement. In contrast, the men’s team has not tasted success in the 16-year history of IPL, making the women’s victory even more special for the franchise.
A guard of honour for scripting history!!!!
— Vaishnavi Iyer (@Vaishnaviiyer14) March 19, 2024
Ee Saala Cup Namdu!!!! #SmritiMandhana #ViratKohli𓃵 #RCBUnbox #RCBChampions pic.twitter.com/rgJVMY7P1Q
RCB celebrated a night of wins as they excelled in the tournament finale, restricting Delhi Capitals to 113 runs and chasing the target with just two wickets down. They secured the Fair Play award and made history by sweeping individual accolades in the WPL. Ellyse Perry claimed the Orange Cap for most runs (347), while Shreyanka Patil secured both the Purple Cap for most wickets (13) and the Emerging Player of the Tournament award.
Speaking at the event, Smriti Mandhana attributed their win to a year of meticulous planning and strategizing, both on and off the field. She emphasized the importance of building a positive team culture and tracking players’ progress, including injured ones like Sophie Molineux.
Mandhana also highlighted RCB’s initiative in organizing various training camps, aimed at preparing domestic cricketers for the challenge.
“Over the past one year we did a lot of video calls together. We had a group of our own Indian domestic girls and whenever they needed something we were all always there. So if you are working for a year, your job becomes easier when the season arrives. Once the season starts, it becomes a bit hard to put in that kind of work. So RCB worked on them for a year, and that really paid off a lot in terms of how they were confident,” the skipper concluded.
Last Updated on March 19, 2024
Senior Sports Copywriter
