RCB skipper Mandhana speaks on Perry's absence, work on power-hitting ahead of WPL opener against MI

It will be a clash of India's World Cup winning captain Harmanpreet and vice-captain Smriti as two-time champion MI takes on 2024 champions RCB in the WPL season four opener on Friday at Navi Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium.

Ahead of her side's Women's Premier League (WPL) campaign opener against Harmanpreet Kaur-led defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) scheduled for Friday, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper Smriti Mandhana said that while nobody would be able to replace star all-rounder Ellyse Perry in her absence, the youngsters within the group have learnt a lot from her in terms of work ethic and have enough quality to do well in the tournament. It will be a clash of India's World Cup-winning captain, Harmanpreet, and vice-captain Smriti as two-time champion MI takes on 2024 champions RCB in the WPL season four opener on Friday at Navi Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium.

However, things will be a lot different for RCB, who failed in their title defence with a second-last place finish last year, as they have been left without their Aussie star all-rounder Perry, who made herself unavailable for the tournament due to personal reasons, with Indian all-rounder Sayali Sathgare, 25 years of age, as her replacement at Rs 30 lakh. Mandhana spoke about Perry's influence on the squad. She said as per a press release from RCB, "She has been amazing for us. We have learned so much from her work ethic and the way she carries herself around the group, especially for the younger players. Of course, no one can replace someone like her, but we have a young, high-quality group that's really gelling together."

The RCB captain also revealed a conscious effort to evolve her power game without moving away from her strengths. She remarked, "There is a conscious effort from my side to hit more sixes. I have been working quite a bit on my power-hitting, and hopefully I can bring that into the WPL without moving away from timing and my natural game." She added, "When I look at fancy shots, I know I am still a little away from them. But if I could muscle those sixes, I will be very happy with that."

Speaking about RCB's group and the mindset heading into the new season, Mandhana said, "We're a young group, but there's a lot of energy and excitement around the team. Every time we go onto the field, we want to build the right mindset and keep improving, not just look at one result." On the broader impact of the Women's Premier League, Mandhana said, "It is always exciting to see talents coming up in WPL. Every WPL is just getting us closer to where we want to be. That shows that WPL has made a lot of impact on us, and everyone knows that if you have a good WPL, especially in the T20 format, you always have a chance."

RCB squadBatters: Smriti Mandhana, Georgia Voll, D Hemalatha, Gautami Naik Wicketkeepers: Richa Ghosh, Pratyoosha KumarAllrounders: Sayali Sathghare, Pooja Vastrakar, Grace Harris, Nadine de KlerkSpinners: Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav, Linsey Smith, Prema RawatFast bowlers: Arundhati Reddy, Lauren Bell. (ANI)

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