“The 2016 tour was the first time I was playing Australia in Australia and I remember she had properly flicked a pace bowler over fine leg for a six, and I was like ‘oh, that’s some shot!'” Meg Lanning was listening intently, so Smriti Mandhana pointed at her before jokingly adding, “She probably won’t remember that.”
Typically, Mandhana is the target of these jokes since, despite her best efforts, she can’t recall anything. However, certain recollections create lasting effects. It was Lanning, softly setting the standard to surpass and discreetly stamping her class for a teenaged, bespectacled Mandhana.
Later in that series, Mandhana would prove her own abilities by scoring her first international century in their backyard against Australia. This gave the left-hander access to a world of league cricket options in the years that followed.
Mandhana, a two-time Rachael Heyhoe-Flint award winner, national vice-captain, and now another well-known name on the extensive list of Lanning fans, is currently one of the most sought-after autographs in franchise cricket.
The admiration for Lanning the skipper, as well as for Lanning the batter, was strengthened last year and started in Australia eight years ago.
Lanning stopped over for a brief conversation with her counterpart as Royal Challengers Bangalore’s miserable season came to an end with their fifth straight loss to Delhi Capitals in the 2023 season. Mandhana, 26, had a difficult transition into the high-profile role of captain, despite not being wholly unfamiliar with the demands of the role. The Australian, who took the top job by surprise at the age of 21, was aware of the pressures that go along with it. The RCB captain learned “how to look after others from opposition teams if they’re not doing well” as a result of the brief check-in and the brief talk that followed.
It is entirely reciprocal respect. After cutting to a scene from the 2024 WPL final in Delhi a year later, Lanning continued to describe how Mandhana’s name—or rather, his threat—would often come up in Australia’s squad meetings. She also commended her fellow finalist for keeping other captains on their toes on unevenly bordered fields and for leading RCB’s incredible comeback in just a year after that forgettable month in Mumbai.
On the surface, there are many similarities between the two. These two incredibly gifted hitters are leagues beyond their contemporaries individually. Their achievements are worn by both as lightly as air. Generally modest, they both possess a superb repartee gift.
Lanning joked, “Oh, she’s spoken really nicely about me, so I better go back with it,” before he started talking about crickets. “She’s on her own leadership journey as well, I guess, going through the ups and downs, and it sounds like Smriti is really starting to understand the ins and outs of that and, obviously, has done an excellent job with RCB this year.”
Beneath the identically serene façade, however, are two remarkably distinct women, each pursuing a different route to the WPL throne. While one is a captain in training, the other is a captain who has achieved success and more. While the other is just beginning to learn the ropes in this competitive circuit, the former is perhaps the best tactician in the women’s game and has a point to prove in the freelance sector.
“I believe that we place a great deal of value on the captaincy. Lanning gave Mandhana a nod of encouragement as she said, “The captain is only as good as her team.” She stated, “Nothing changes tomorrow as well,” anticipating the RCB’s inaugural final. “We are up against a strong Delhi Capitals team that has excelled in both this season and the previous one.
“One lesson cricket has taught us is the value of living in the moment and not worrying about the future. I don’t think I will be thinking about outwitting my teammates, nor did I ever discuss this with any of the other Indian teammates. With Lanning and the WPL trophy on one side, Mandhana continued, “It’s just about playing good cricket on that day.”
The Australian agreed.
It has to do with the team we are playing against. Regardless of who we are playing, my preparation remains the same. For me, it’s about being as ready as I can be—as a team, as much as possible. Now that I’ve played a lot of cricket, I’ve discovered that no matter how much preparation you put in, the game always turns out differently than you anticipate, so you need to be able to quickly adjust and think quickly.
“We’ve seen some crazy cricket and insane finishes throughout the tournament. I am not anticipating anything less from our match against the RCB, who have demonstrated exceptional cricketing abilities. They have proven they can play excellent cricket when under pressure and have match-winning players. What an amazing task for our team to go out there and defeat them,” the 31-year-old, three-time World Cup champion exclaimed.
During their fifteen-minute pre-final press conference, Mandhana and Lanning shared a number of commonalities, including the nightmare of the inconsistent border sizes. Multiple pitches were deployed for consecutive games at both WPL 2024 venues, which frequently resulted in boundaries that were as low as 43 meters on one side.
When it’s 40 meters on one side, a lot of preparation goes into it. Lanning concurred with Mandhana when she added, “I feel it is a lot of headache… a nightmare to understand which end to bowl your spinners or pacers from.”
The DC captain laughed and remarked, “That is one thing I haven’t necessarily enjoyed as a captain.” Mandhana was amused. “We might consider maybe enlarging the boundaries [starting next year]… However, the game has so much more force and strength now that it’s quite easy for people to clear the ropes. You can’t really complain too much because it’s entertaining and applies to both sides equally. She added, putting another bashful smile on Mandhana’s face, “But, yes, I have lost a lot of sleep over games where there’s only a 40m boundary on one said, especially when there’s left-handers like Smriti making it even worse.”
This club of mutual admiration will now adjourn for the day. There’s a championship match to be played and some last-ditch sparring to take place in order to claim the shiny trophy as the winner. One that may turn out to be the first missing silverware in Mandhana’s collection or the only missing one in Lanning’s crammed trophy cabinet.
