WPL 2023: Parthiv Patel expects Smriti Mandhana to replicate Harmanpreet Kaur's success from Day 1

Former India cricketer Parthiv Patel has expressed his opinions on how Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) would be looking at their skipper Smriti Mandhana, in the ongoing Women's Premier League 2023 (WPL).

RCB will be officially starting their WPL campaign by locking horns with Delhi Capitals in the second match of the marquee event.

Parthiv Patel, who holds the record for being the youngest wicketkeeper in Test cricket, opened up on his expectations from the stylish left-handed batter and also commented on what her franchise could be expecting from the most expensive buy of the first WPL, ahead of their campaign. Notably, RCB also happens to be the last franchise Parthiv Patel had played for in the IPL.

Before the match, Patel also explicitly voiced his support for RCB, saying that the Smriti Mandhana factor will help her franchise garner fans. 

"Where you have Smriti Mandhana - opening batter, left-hander - you will have to support RCB. There is no other choice. They will want Smriti Mandhana to start the same way as Harmanpreet Kaur," the 37-year-old said while on a discussion on JioCinema.

The former RCB player was of the opinion that if RCB wanted to make a solid start to their WPL campaign, they would want their skipper Smriti Mandhana to begin the proceedings with her typical explosive batting, just the way Mumbai Indians' skipper Harmanpreet Kaur did against the Gujarat Giants in the opening match of the WPL.

Harmanpreet Kaur had blasted 65 runs off 30 deliveries to propel her team to a mammoth 207/5 in their 20 overs. She was hence declared the Player of the Match for her outstanding innings after Mumbai Indians beat Gujarat Giants by 143 runs.

Patel expects RCB-Women to not give up the franchise's agressive style of cricket

Parthiv Patel was in talks with the digtal media broadcaster before the match and said that he was expecting the women's team to build on the strong legacy that the men's team has crafted over the last 15 years. 

The RCB franchise is known for their fearless brand of cricket and have always displayed an aggressive performance, even more so during Virat Kohli's captaincy. Patel is hopeful that the trademark attitude of the franchise will not change and even in the women's team, one would find the same fervor.

"When we talk about big-ticket players, franchise cricket is different from international cricket, but the RCB fans will want their legacy to be maintained. Their play-bold approach and flair will not change, you will hundred percent get to see that from RCB," Patel was heard saying.

For a better experience: Download the CricTracker app from the IOS App Store and Google Play Store