She is a leader – Dinesh Karthik on Smriti Mandhana’s charismatic personality

RCB secured their second WPL title in February 2026, beating the Delhi Capitals in a high-scoring final. Smriti Mandhana played an impeccable knock of 87 off just 41 balls, cementing RCB’s dominance up top. Mandhana has been a revolutionary in women’s cricket, changing the entire paradigm of women’s cricket in India.

Talking on the teaser of RCB Podcast, RCB’s batting coach and mentor, Dinesh Karthik opened up on how Smriti Mandhana’s leadership has been a major game-changer for RCB. Karthik underscored how Mandhana’s clarity of thoughts changes things for her team and likened her to another legend of the sport.

DK said, “One of the favorite things about Mandhana, the way she carries herself and the clarity she has with what she is doing, she really says for sure, she is a leader, she knows what she is doing, her ability to grasp the situation is very intuitive.”

Adding further, DK stated, “She gives us the freedom to what we do, to allow us to do what we want, at the same time if we have any doubt she is there. And guess what, the last person I heard who had a similar attribute about was MS Dhoni, very gracious.”