Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell led the guard of honour for the victorious Royal Challengers Bangalore Women’s Premier League champions at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium during the RCB Unbox, a promotional event on Tuesday, March 19. The Indian contingent of the victorious WPL team, including captain Smriti Mandhana, soaked in the applause from the passionate RCB fans during a lap of honour at the iconic venue.
Virat Kohli, who was making his first public appearance since his return from London, cheered on the victorious team who walked into the field. Captain Smriti Mandhana held the WPL trophy in her hand as the crowd roared for the champions, who were sporting a customised t-shirt with ‘WPL Champions 2024’ written on it.
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Luke Williams, RCB’s head coach, was the first to walk out and he was followed by the pound team, which was enjoying the limelight in front of the home fans.
Virat Kohli looked relaxed and composed in his training kit, warming up for the events later in the evening in the RCB Unbox event. RCB are expected to unveil a new kit for the IPL 2024 season, starting March 19, and unveil a new name for the franchise. Faf du Plessis men will begin their campaign against defending champions Chennai Super Kings at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Smriti Mandhana became the first captain in the history of the franchise to win a trophy. RCB defeated Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday after bowling out Meg Lanning’s side for just 113. Sophie Molineux and Shreyanka Patil were the heroes of RCB’s triumphant show against the Capitals.
Speaking after winning the elusive title on Sunday, Smriti Mandhana dedicated the title triumph to their fans. Smriti also played down comparisons with Virat Kohli
“Title is one thing, but the other No.18 has achieved a lot for India and that is a big thing. So, I don’t think the comparison is right in terms of where my career is and what he has already achieved,” Mandhana said.
“I don’t like being compared because what he has achieved has been great; he has been an inspirational person. The title doesn’t define a lot of things. We all respect him and I feel like the respect in Indian cricket has to be right up there for Virat,” she added.
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