'Takes a lot of guts to come back from that position' - Smriti Mandhana lauds RCB's epic turnaround in IPL 2024

Smriti Mandhana was effusive in her praise for the men's Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team after they managed to reach the playoffs of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 from a difficult position.

The left-handed batter led RCB to the Women's Premier League (WPL) title earlier this year after a disappointing first season. Faf du Plessis and Co. will be hoping to make RCB the first franchise to win the WPL and IPL in the same year. The Bengaluru-based franchise defeated Chennai Super Kings on Saturday, May 18 to reach the playoffs for the ninth time in IPL history. This was after a horrendous start to the season, where they lost seven out of their first eight games.

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Mandhana was present to support the home team alongside her RCB teammates and close friend Jemimah Rodrigues. She lauded the guts shown by the team to forge a spirited comeback that helped them progress beyond the playoffs.

“I just realised that watching the match is much more stressful than actually playing. But really happy that we got a good score and coming back here reminded me of first playing at the Chinnaswamy. Happy with the way boys have fought back throughout the season,” Mandhana was quoted as saying in a video uploaded on RCB’s social media handles.

“We also won the first two to three matches and then had a few matches where you could not perform. No one tries to go out and not perform, so it takes a lot of guts to come back from that position and have a chance to still qualify. That itself shows the character that this team has,” Mandhana added.

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Having won six games in a row, RCB will look to extend their winning streak when they take on a hapless Rajasthan Royals side in the Eliminator on Wednesday, May 22 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Sanju Samson-led Royals won eight out of their first nine games but went on to lose four games consecutively. Their last league game against Kolkata Knight Riders was washed out.