Sports

Smriti Mandhana’s ‘Eye of the Tiger’ Moment with WPL Trophy Goes Viral Ahead of RCB’s Title-Winning Chase Against DC

Following the Women’s Premier League (WPL) first season, in which Smriti Mandhana and her Royal Challengers Bangalore team placed fourth after winning just two of their eight games, they were subjected to a great deal of trolling. In a pretty jocular gesture, Mandhana also found the irony in it. A year later, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, the same Indian player led RCB to their first-ever WPL championship when the team defeated the Delhi Capitals by eight wickets.

Delhi openers Shafali Verma and Meg Lanning got off to a blistering start, blasting 64 runs in 42 balls, and at one stage in the game, RCB was looking at a massive total. But the home squad was left hurting by a brilliant over from Sophie Molineux, in which she claimed three wickets in just four balls. After dismissing Lanning shortly after, Shreyanka Patil went amok through the lower order to fold the side for just 113 runs in 18.3 overs, a blow that Delhi never really recovered from.

Mandhana, who was excited to start chasing RCB, was waiting on the boundary lines when she glanced longingly at the WPL title in front of her. A fan swiftly took a picture of the trophy, and the video quickly went viral on Instagram as the side hoisted it. That sight kind of made you think of that song from Rocky III, the Hollywood film. “The excitement of the battle is the tiger’s eye.” Rising to the occasion, our adversary

Smriti Mandhana set her eyes on the WPL Trophy while coming to bat. pic.twitter.com/AitHgXWeKj
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) March 17, 2024

The India vice-captain put together a 49-run opening partnership with Sophie Devine and hit a cautious 31 off 39 balls as the RCB chase got off to a bright start. The spinners from Delhi were able to stifle the middle overs’ run-scoring, making the otherwise straightforward chase into an exciting one. In the end, Ellyse Perry and Richa Ghosh managed to remain composed in the last over, with the latter hitting the game-winning boundary as RCB completed the chase with three balls remaining.

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An overjoyed Mandhana summarized RCB’s journey from a disappointing WPL 2023 season to a title-winning run in 2024 during the post-match presentation. “Feeling hasn’t yet settled in,” she stated. I find it difficult to express myself. I will say this: I’m proud of the group. We had a great Bangalore leg. We had two hard defeats when we arrived in Delhi. We discussed the need for us to take appropriate action when it is needed. The goal of these competitions is to peak at the ideal moment. We learned a great deal from last year. What worked and what didn’t? The management has told you to grow the team your way. Bravo to them.”

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