Vadodara, Jan 25 (IANS) Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) seam-bowling all-rounder Nadine de Klerk said the side will take lessons from their first loss of the 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL) and return stronger after Delhi Capitals handed them a seven-wicket defeat at the BCA Stadium.

“It was a pretty disappointing day out, but we know we are much better than that. You are going to have a bad day or two; rather take it now than in the knockout games. We know we are a much better side, and we will be back stronger for our next game,” said Nadine in a release by the franchise on Sunday.

She also pointed to the changing nature of the conditions in Vadodara. “I think we saw in the last couple of games, it’s hard work in the first innings, unlike DY Patil. It’s a bit more low-scoring and you have to work hard for your runs and apply yourself. We’ll take the learnings into the next game.”

Captain Smriti Mandhana, who top-scored with 38 off 34 balls to move into the top three run-scorers of the season, praised the team’s intent despite the defeat. “When we lose, a lot of good things go unnoticed. One thing I really liked was that after the six overs, every bowler came in talking about keeping a fielder in and building pressure.

“Instead of playing it safe, everyone wanted to push for wickets, and I didn’t have to tell anyone. That, for me, is a winning mindset,” she said.

Head Coach Malolan Rangarajan acknowledged the side had been outplayed but stressed the positives. “We should acknowledge that we were beaten today. We did not turn up. The way Smriti and Grace started showed a lot of applications.

“As far as our preparations, let’s commit to it. There’s always going to be challenges, but let’s trust our process and our strengths. We are back here in less than 48 hours so we can make it right,” he said.

–IANS

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