Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have appointed tennis legend Sania Mirza as the team's mentor for WPL 2023. Mirza, who has won six Grand Slam titles and 43 WTA Titles, will be working with the side ahead of the inaugural season of the tournament and according to the franchise, she is "someone whom the players can relate and respond to easily in a team environment". RCB had a brilliant outing at the WPL Auction as they were able to buy the likes of Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry and Richa Ghosh.“The pioneer in Indian sports for women, a youth icon, someone who has played Bold and broken barriers throughout her career, and a champion on and off the field. We are proud to welcome Sania Mirza as the mentor of the RCB women’s cricket team,” the RCB wrote.
“I was a little surprised but I was excited. Fortunately or unfortunately, I've been a professional athlete for 20 years. My next job is to try and help young women and young girls believe that sports can be one of the first career choices for them,” Mirza said in a chat with RCB after her appointment. When asked about what she would bring on board for the Royal Challengers, Mirza stated that handling pressure is a key to any sport and she will work with the players on their mental aspect.“(There are) so much commonalities (between cricket and tennis). Every athlete thinks the same way, they go through same kind of pressure. Just handling pressure situations, embracing them is very important. Pressure is a privelege, if you can't embrace it, you can't excel at it. The biggest of champions are those who can handle the pressure,” Mirza said.“That aspect of it, the mental aspect is something I look forward to working with the girls. What IPL has done for men's cricket, if that can be done for women's cricket, playing sport can become a natural option for young girls.”
