Royal Challengers Bangalore was perhaps the first franchise to appoint a talent scout, much before the BCCI announced the Women’s Premier League. And the franchise’s chairman Prathmesh Mishra says that the idea was to prepare early and be ready by the time the league was formally launched.
And after being one of the five successful bidders to win a team, RCB made the most of the opportunity in the auction, roping in Smriti Mandhana as its captain.
As the team gets ready for the season opener against Delhi Capitals on Sunday, Mishra tells Sportstar that whatever success the men’s IPL achieved in one decade, the WPL will achieve that in a much shorter time.
Q. What was the reason behind Royal Challengers Bangalore investing in the Women’s Premier League? How do you see the league sustaining over the next few years?
It’s not about the numbers, it’s the purpose. It is going to serve a much bigger purpose, so sustainability is answered. It’s my personal belief that whatever men’s IPL achieved in one decade, the WPL will achieve that in a much shorter time. If the franchises, the BCCI do a good job in fan engagement and if we can market it well, I see no reason why the stadiums will not be full.
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Q. One of the major reasons behind IPL’s success was because it could tap to the city-specific audience initially. What are your thoughts on that in terms of the WPL?
When you are building a category, you need to start somewhere, create excitement and then expand. When the threshold comes, the BCCI will definitely take it to the next level. Today, we are just starting, so we don’t know when we will achieve that threshold. The day that threshold will be achieved, I am sure they will go for it.
Q. RCB was among the first few franchises to start talent scouting for the WPL. Much before the teams were announced, RCB appointed scouts like former India batter VR Vanitha to tap local talent. What was the reason behind starting so early?
Even before we got the team, Vanitha was out there. The plan was very clear and we were confident that we will make a credible bid for the team and we will not get time to prepare. So, we wanted to prepare early and that actually helped us in getting the team in place and our auction strategy was very clear. We started with Smriti and the rest were just combinations that had to fall in place.
Q. What was the idea behind roping in tennis ace Sania Mirza as the mentor?
We wanted a mentor in the team and in India, every young boy and girl looks up to Sania as an inspiration. She is someone who has broken barriers and has continued to perform over the decades. There is lot to learn from her - most important being how to handle pressure. For these players, there’s pressure and that’s where she would help them in handling the pressure. What she has achieved can’t be explained in words and the players will benefit a lot from her.
Tennis legend Sania Mirza was named as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) team’s mentor for WPL 2023. | Photo Credit: PTI
Q. What are RCB’s plans for the next five years?
I am very optimistic and very positive. WPL is going to become a movement because everyone just needs inspiration, every one who’s out there looks at the possibilities. Women and men’s cricket are going to be treated similarly. There will be no difference. We are going to make our players ready and we will do whatever is required… We will monitor their progress throughout the year. Once you are an RCB-ian, you will always be an RCB-ian.
Q. The teams had to get their house in order within a fortnight. How challenging was it to put everything together?
It was very challenging but because of existing synergies, we could make it happen. RCB has some credibility, so we could make it happen.
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