With a modest target of 142 runs easily in only 16.2 overs, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) drove their way to an 8-wicket triumph over Delhi Capitals (DC). Leading the way in stunning form, top-scoring with 81 off 47 balls—including three sixes and ten boundaries—was imperious Smriti Mandhana. Her stinging knock greatly influenced RCB’s winning pursuit.
Mandhana, who has been in excellent form for the past year, assaulted Delhi’s bowlers from the first over. She ran her fastest-ever fifty in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), therefore establishing the tone for the innings. Mandhana started out showing her repertoire of strokes, including some shattering boundaries, stressing the DC bowlers.
Danielle Wyatt-Hodge backed Mandhana exactly from the top of the order. Wyatt-Hodge added to a strong opening combination that moved the game away from DC by striking 42 off 32 balls. Against Delhi in the WPL, their 107-run stand still boasts the best opening partnership for RCB. Wyatt-Hodge dropped the 11th over to Arundhati Reddy for a well-made 42, but by then, RCB had total control over the game.
RCB’s hunt carried on with Ellyse Perry (7*) and Mandhana bringing the score closer to the target even after Wyatt-Hodge left. Richa Ghosh (11*) rounded off the game with a few huge strokes, thereby securing the win with four balls to spare, so Mandhana’s dismissal by Shikha Pandey in the 16th did not stop the momentum.
Earlier in the day, RCB’s bowlers were vital in arranging the easy chase, thereby limiting Delhi to 141 all out in 19.3 overs. Renuka Singh Thakur, the Player of the Match, claimed 3 wickets for 23 runs, making for an outstanding ball performance. Early Shafali Verma’s (0) dismissal for a golden duck in the opening over was part of Thakur’s blistering burst.
Delhi’s top order battled back from the early setback, combining a 59-run partnership between Jemimah Rodrigues (34) and Meg Lanning (17). Still, RCB’s bowlers gradually took center stage. Rodrigues was trapped by Ghosh while trying a reverse sweep off Thakur’s bowling; therefore, the game veered drastically in the seventh over.
Rodrigues’ departure proved to be a pivotal moment as Lanning and the lower order engaged in a battle with RCB’s disciplined bowling attack. Despite Lanning’s attempt to steady the innings, she fell in the next over after mistiming a short ball and finding Perry at square leg. Thakur’s continued brilliance enabled her to take Annabel Sutherland’s wicket (19), thereby disrupting the Capitals’ momentum.
Georgia Wareham’s 3 wickets for 25 runs contributed significantly to the destruction of the lower order. She was instrumental in eliminating Scottish wicketkeeper-batter Sarah Bryce, one of Delhi’s few bright flashes, with a fast-fire 23. EBisht also contributed with the ball, eliminating Marizanne Kapp (23) and Jess Jonassen (1), as RCB’s bowlers maintained pressure and concluded the innings in less than 20 overs.
When thinking back on the victory, Mandhana gave her team’s all-around performance outstanding compliments. “The bowlers did a fantastic job in restricting them to under 150, and our batters were excellent in finishing the chase,” Mandhana said in the post-match interview. “Wyatt was outstanding in batting; our team is happy with how we performed overall. After a challenging start, Ekta made a wonderful comeback, and we continued to execute our shots well today.
With both the bowlers and hitters making major contributions to the triumph, RCB defeated DC holistically. This was a commanding performance from a squad that appears well-positioned for the remainder of the tournament.