Clinching the WPL crown: The one meeting that changed it all for RCB-W

History was scripted at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on March 17th, 2024 as the RCB Women conquered their first crown, outplaying the Delhi Capitals to lift the WPL trophy. However, a journey from being in the bottom half of the points table in season 1 to clinching the title in season 2, it doesn’t happen overnight. It needs a few hard calls, proper planning, long-term strategies in place, accountability and most importantly leaders who can make it happen.

In RCB’s latest short documentary on their WPL triumph, we all get to know the salient features of such an important meeting that set the wheels in motion months ago. It involves the thinktank featuring Rajesh Menon, vice-president and head of RCB, Prathmesh Mishra, Chairman of RCB and Smriti Mandhana, the captain of RCB Women as well as Luke Williams, the head coach of RCB-W.

It all started with Smriti Mandhana opening up as she said, “I think the auction was pretty exciting. We didn’t know where we were going to go. I was selected by RCB. I was really happy about this because franchise wise RCB has always really been great. But I also think, the way we started things, didn’t really work out. A lot of things didn’t really go in our favour. We played three matches in five days and we lost three. It was really hard to come back.”

Rajesh Menon spoke next, highlighting, “We didn’t have time to prepare. It started and ended in a jiffy. The team came maybe a couple of days ahead of the tournament. The team didn’t know each other. Only thing we had in our mind at the end or towards the end of WPL was what the state of mind was for all our players and support staff.”

Smriti continued, “Rajesh, Prathmesh and all of them wanted to have a video call with me. I didn’t know them a lot. I had just seen them at the auction table a lot and here and there. I went to the call like I didn’t know what was going to happen. The first question that they asked was whether I did okay. They said leave whatever is happening. Are you doing fine mentally which actually made me feel much better because that is what a player needs. Because no one really wants to go out there and wants to not perform and lose a match for the team.”

Prathmesh Mishra said, “I, Rajesh and Smriti, after year one met in Mumbai. There we spent some time. We wanted to know what worked in season one but we didn’t spend too much time on doing post-mortem. We were focused forward and we wanted to have a very clear view of how we should be approaching this whole season two from a team culture, team resourcing and how the team really needs to shape up and come together as one unit. There I have to give full marks to Smriti.”

Smriti said, “I think that particular meeting started a lot of things for the season. We jotted down a few things about the changes that we want and how we wanted to play a brand of cricket, what culture we wanted to set, team combinations and support staff because they are a very important cog in the wheel. The best thing that I got out of that meeting was that they told me that this is my team and I could build it the way I wanted to for the next two years. Whatever you need, we will be giving you from our side.”

Prathmesh said, “She wanted to take the ownership and responsibility that comes along with that. I thought at the moment that belief in her is instilled, that belief that I can do that and I want to do it, we all wanted to support that belief.”

Rajesh said, “We just wanted to be the wind beneath her wings and she could lead it. She did that.”