“RCB didn’t arrive for the WPL at all” - Anjum Chopra reflects on forgettable performance from Bangalore franchise
Former India Women’s captain Anjum Chopra reckons that Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) struggled in the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2023 because they could not recover from a poor start. Chopra opined that the fast-paced nature of the tournament gave the franchise very little chance of making a comeback after the initial setbacks.
Bangalore finished fourth among five teams in WPL 2023, winning only two of their eight matches in the league stage. They lost their first five matches in a row before winning the next two. Bangalore exited the competition with a four-wicket loss to eventual champions Mumbai Indians (MI).
In a Q & A session on her YouTube channel, Chopra shared her views on what went wrong for the Bangalore franchise in WPL 2023. The 45-year-old stated:
“RCB didn’t arrive for the WPL at all. When you start by losing the initial matches… this tournament goes very fast. You are playing matches every alternate day. By the time you realize, three-four matches are over and suddenly you start making changes in batting and bowling.
“It’s difficult to gauge initially what’s wrong. This is because you are not focusing on what is wrong, but on what is right. That is why so many changes happen.”
RCB were hammered by Delhi Capitals (DC) by 60 runs in their opening WPL 2023 encounter at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. Bowling first, they conceded 223/2 and were then held to 163/8 in the chase.
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Subsequently, they tasted defeats against Mumbai Indians (nine wickets), Gujarat Giants (11 runs), UP Warriorz (10 wickets) and Delhi Capitals (six wickets).
“The batting did not fire” - Anjum Chopra on RCB’s struggles in WPL 2023
According to Chopra, the underwhelming performance of the star-studded batting line-up was one of the key factors behind RCB’s poor showing in WPL 2023.
The former cricketer elaborated:
“Clearly, the batting did not fire. Smriti Mandhana had a lean period. Ellyse Perry dominated but, at the start, Sophie Devine and Heather Knight, as international players, did not contribute a lot. That’s why Kanika Ahuja and Shreyanka Patil came into focus.
“I am sure they will analyze where they went wrong so that they don’t come back and disappoint fans.”
Bangalore captain Mandhana had a forgettable WPL 2023 campaign. She managed only 149 runs in eight matches at an average of 18.62 and a strike rate of 111.19. Devine (266 runs) was the leading run-getter for the franchise, while Perry (253 runs) was the next best.