New Delhi, Feb 3 (IANS) Royal Challengers Bengaluru top-order batter Georgia Voll said the key to handling huge expectations around the franchise in the 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL) final will be keeping things simple, doing what has gone well for them before and not getting overwhelmed by the occasion.

Smriti Mandhana-led RCB are in the WPL final for the second time after finishing as table-toppers in the league stage. The franchise won their first WPL title in 2024 after beating Delhi Capitals in the final at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

RCB awaits the winner of the Eliminator clash between DC and Gujarat Giants in Thursday’s title clash at the BCA Stadium in Kotambi, Vadodara. “I think obviously it’s a big expectation when we see the sort of team that we’re a part of and the fan base that we have at RCB is something that I’ve never been a part of. So, obviously there’s that sort of expectation of the fans and outside.

“But I think within our group it’s just about keeping things super simple and doing what we’ve done well all year and not trying to change that in terms of the final. I think if we can continue to do the small things well and not think too big a picture is what we’ll be looking to do and hopefully we can bring that trophy home,” Georgia told IANS in a select virtual interaction on Tuesday.

The WPL has provided overseas players like Georgia a unique opportunity to share the dressing room with India’s domestic players. Georgia, who has made 91 runs in five innings so far for RCB, has taken the mantle of being a researcher for best coffee shops in both Navi Mumbai and Vadodara.

She revealed an amusing side to life in the RCB camp, including her ongoing campaign to get skipper Smriti Mandhana to make her a coffee. “It’s been pretty cool. Obviously, being in these different T20 tournaments around the world, obviously a lot of the Indian girls don’t sort of venture over to the Big Bash or the Hundred. You only sort of see a couple of them.

“To come over here and be sort of a part of their competition and see the way that they go about things as a whole group, we’ve obviously spent quite a bit of time together and it’s been cool to see the way that they go about things and they’re pretty quiet off the field as well.

“I don’t see a lot of them other than when they come into my room for a coffee occasionally. I’m still getting Smriti to try and make me a coffee, but that hasn’t worked yet. So, hopefully I can get her to make me one by the time we leave here,” she said.

Left-arm spinner Linsey Smith, who played first three games for RCB, echoed those sentiments, saying that training alongside India’s domestic bowlers has made for a fulfilling time in her maiden WPL campaign, after playing multiple editions of The Hundred in England and Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) in Australia.

“Obviously similar to what Georgia said. I haven’t got to play much with the Indian players before. So, especially around training and stuff, it’s been really nice to see how they go about things and done a lot of bowling in the nets with Radha and Shrey (Shreyanka Patil) which has been really nice just to see how they approach things and the different things that they work on. It’s been nice to explore different ways to train and how they go about things.”

–IANS

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