Ahead of the much-anticipated fourth season of the Women's Premier League (WPL), Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Smriti Mandhana has outlined specific areas for personal improvement, with a sharp focus on enhancing her power-hitting capabilities. The star Indian opener expressed her desire to add more muscle to her elegant batting without compromising her natural timing.
Mandhana's Personal Batting Goals for the New Season
Speaking at a pre-tournament press conference ahead of WPL 2026, which begins on Friday, the 29-year-old left-hander provided insights into her technical aspirations. Mandhana pinpointed two key aspects she intends to work on during the tournament. The first is perfecting the lap shot, a skill she has been attempting to incorporate into her game. "There’s this lap shot that I try to keep playing. I hope I get better at it in the WPL," Mandhana stated, adding that the reverse sweep remains a work in progress.
However, the centerpiece of her focus is a conscious effort to increase her six-hitting prowess. "But there is a conscious effort of hitting sixes for me which I have tried to work on my power-hitting game quite a lot," she explained. Mandhana aims to blend this newfound power with her classic strength of timing the ball beautifully. She acknowledged that while fancy shots might still be a little distant, successfully muscling the ball over the boundary would bring her great satisfaction this season.
WPL as a Platform for World Cup Aspirations
The Indian vice-captain also connected her WPL performance to the larger goal of the T20 World Cup in England this June. Fresh from leading India to an ODI World Cup victory in November, Mandhana is already eyeing the double. "Winning the T20 World Cup would be great," she admitted, while also stressing that the team still has areas to improve upon to truly claim the title of the world's best.
She believes the WPL will be crucial in bridging that gap. The month-long league in Navi Mumbai and Vadodara is seen as a vital preparatory ground, not just for established stars but also for emerging talents. Mandhana firmly believes the doors to the national squad are never closed, especially with a global event on the horizon. She emphasized that an extraordinary season in the T20 format of the WPL could very well earn a player a spot in the World Cup squad, a sentiment she expects fellow captain Harmanpreet Kaur to second.
A Season of Big Hitting and New Challenges
Mandhana's emphasis on power-hitting aligns with a broader trend highlighted by other legends of the game. Just a day earlier, newly-appointed UP Warriorz skipper Meg Lanning had alluded to the growing power-hitting aspect in women's cricket, predicting that the upcoming WPL edition would witness a flurry of boundaries. This sets the stage for a highly competitive and explosive tournament.
All eyes will be on Smriti Mandhana as she leads RCB in their quest for a second consecutive title. Her personal journey to add more firepower to her game, while maintaining her signature grace, will be one of the key narratives of WPL 2026. Her performance could also set the tone for India's campaign in the T20 World Cup, making this season particularly significant for the champion batter.
