Vadodara, Jan 24 (NationPress) Smriti Mandhana, the captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, expressed that her team will focus on the positives from their seven-wicket defeat against Delhi Capitals, which concluded their unbeaten streak in the 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL). She emphasized that this loss came at an opportune moment just ahead of the playoffs.

"Absolutely, in tournaments like these, it's beneficial to experience these losses before the playoffs. We executed many aspects well in practice. We’ll embrace all those positives moving forward. Today was just an off day for all of us. We'll gather all the insights from this match and return stronger," Mandhana remarked during the post-match presentation.

Discussing the playing conditions in Vadodara, Mandhana noted, "The pitch seems to behave differently each day here in Baroda. In our last match and others, it played quite low. However, today it felt a bit more spongy, I would say.

"We struggled to adjust to it. We believed that a score of around 160-170, or even a total over 140, would be competitive. However, credit goes to our bowlers who fought valiantly. There are areas in our fielding and batting that we must improve, and we’ll ensure those decisions are corrected," Mandhana added.

She acknowledged that the team’s fielding did not meet their high standards. "As I mentioned earlier, I, as a captain, prefer to face this today rather than in the playoffs. We take pride in our fielding. Today’s performance is certainly not something we’re proud of as a team.

"This fielding display should serve as a wake-up call for all the girls. However, knowing our players, they are incredibly dedicated and I’m confident they will come back stronger, practice harder, and perform brilliantly in the next match," Mandhana stated.

She commended her bowlers for their determination despite defending a modest total. "While batting out there today, I informed them that this was one of the most challenging pitches in the tournament. I truly believed that securing three or four wickets in the powerplay would give us a fighting chance, so we maintained a positive approach.

"Ideally, an additional 20-30 runs would have been perfect. But again, cricket is unpredictable. I am genuinely pleased and impressed with all the bowlers. They were eager to have a fielder in, rather than playing it safe. They were determined to win the match, which are all positives I will take back as a captain," she commented.

Mandhana concluded by lauding her opening bowlers, Lauren Bell and Sayali Satghare. "Sayali has been phenomenal for us in the Powerplay, along with Belly. They form a great combination, with one taking the new ball and the other coming in. We started exceptionally well, but there are certainly areas where we can improve in terms of capitalizing on opportunities. Nevertheless, I’m extremely satisfied with how this group of girls is progressing, and I am confident they will continue to elevate their game."