WPL 2023: Mandhana admits RCB were below par against Mumbai Indians; promises strong comeback

Opting to bat first, RCB were all out for 155 and then saw MI chase down the target with as many as 34 balls to spare. 

Smriti Mandhana, the captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore, acknowledged on Monday that they were "below par" in their WPL match against Mumbai Indians after suffering back-to-back losses but predicted a strong rebound. RCB, who chose to bat first, were all out for 155 runs, and MI successfully chased down the mark with up to 34 balls remaining.

"We would have loved to put up a better performance. We were below par. Will come back harder. There were two-three batters getting 20-30 runs, a few batters including me couldn't put up a good score," Mandhana said at the post-match presentation. 

"We will sit and talk and try to come up with a better performance. We had six-seven good bowlers. As batters we need to put up a good total on board. It's a pretty short tournament, we can't dwell on it. In franchise cricket, even after two losses we can turn it around quickly," the RCB skipper added.

Mandhana was, however, happy with Kanika Ahuja (22) and Shriyanka Patil's (23) performance with the bat, having come at number seven and eight in the batting order. 

"Lots of positives in the form of Kanika and Shriyanka's batting after the top order collapse, really happy with the way they batted," she said. 

While RCB have lost two matches on the trot, this was Mumbai Indians' second victory in as many outings. "I think batting was the same, the bowling we did was better in the first game (against Gujarat Giants) than today. We still did well to keep them to small score. We just wanted to back ourselves and chase. Everyone in the team is just happy to do it their way and they're enjoying themselves," MI skipper Harmanpreet said.

Smriti Mandhana, the captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore, acknowledged on Monday that they were "below par" in their WPL match against Mumbai Indians after suffering back-to-back losses but predicted a strong rebound. RCB, who chose to bat first, were all out for 155 runs, and MI successfully chased down the mark with up to 34 balls remaining.

"We would have loved to put up a better performance. We were below par. Will come back harder. There were two-three batters getting 20-30 runs, a few batters including me couldn't put up a good score," Mandhana said at the post-match presentation. 

"We will sit and talk and try to come up with a better performance. We had six-seven good bowlers. As batters we need to put up a good total on board. It's a pretty short tournament, we can't dwell on it. In franchise cricket, even after two losses we can turn it around quickly," the RCB skipper added.

Mandhana was, however, happy with Kanika Ahuja (22) and Shriyanka Patil's (23) performance with the bat, having come at number seven and eight in the batting order. 

"Lots of positives in the form of Kanika and Shriyanka's batting after the top order collapse, really happy with the way they batted," she said. 

While RCB have lost two matches on the trot, this was Mumbai Indians' second victory in as many outings. "I think batting was the same, the bowling we did was better in the first game (against Gujarat Giants) than today. We still did well to keep them to small score. We just wanted to back ourselves and chase. Everyone in the team is just happy to do it their way and they're enjoying themselves," MI skipper Harmanpreet said.

(With inputs from PTI)