In the 9th Match of Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026, Gujarat Giants skipper Ashleigh Gardner had won the toss and elected to field first, sending in Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to bat.
Grace Harris and Smriti Mandhana opened the innings and Renuka Singh Thakur leaked 23 runs in her 1st over, which is the most expensive opening over in the history of the WPL. Later on, Gujarat Giants bounced back by picking 4 wickets in the powerplay, including the wickets of the stellar opening duo. Then came a wonderful 105-run partnership from Richa Ghosh and Radha Yadav to help RCB reach a commendable total.
Radha Yadav scored a stunning 66 off 47 balls, her highest ever score in the WPL and Richa Ghosh also played a crucial knock of 44 off just 28 balls. Considering the formidable form of Gujarat Giants’ batting unit, having crossed the 190-run mark every time and a couple of 200-plus scores, Royal Challengers Bengaluru felt the pressure of setting up a huge target for the run chase.
In the 2nd innings, the Giants were off to a flying start with Beth Mooney dominating the RCB bowlers in the power play. Then came in Shreyanka Patil in the 5th over, and she kept the over tight with just a few singles coming off the over, and in the last ball, she struck one in the pads of Beth Mooney, and the umpire didn’t move an inch despite the appeal.
The keeper did not seem interested, but Smriti decided to go upstairs as suggested by the bowler herself. It showed three reds on the big screen, and that’s where the momentum started to shift towards RCB. Then the batting unit began to fall apart, with just a few threatening cameos from Bharti Fulmali, Kashvee Gautam and Tanuja Kanwar. Lauren Bell did a brilliant job yet again, as she picked up 3 wickets off her 4 overs, including the wickets of the skipper, Gardner and the dangerous Bharti Fulmali.
Ahead of the WPL 2026 mega auction, the RCB management decided to retain four players from their squad, which included Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, and Shreyanka Patil. Many questions were raised on Shreyanka’s retention, especially given her 14-month injury layoff. However, the RCB management backed her, and she repaid the trust with a standout 5-fer.
Best Bowling Figures in WPL:
- Ellyse Perry (RCB): 6/15 (4) vs Mumbai Indians
- Marianne Kapp (DC): 5/15 (4) vs Gujarat Giants
- Asha Sobhana (RCB): 5/22 (4) vs UP Warriorz
- Shreyanka Patil (RCB): 5/23 (3.5) vs Gujarat Giants
- Tara Norris (DC): 5/29 (4) vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
She started the season with a decent spell, conceding 32 runs and a wicket. In the next match, she started off well by picking up two wickets, but later on she was hit for 50 runs. Moving into this game, Patil was all set to make an impact, and she delivered 5 wickets against a batting unit that had dominated all season, which shows her capability. She picked up 5 wickets for just 23 runs against the Giants in 3.5 overs, making it her first-ever 5-fer for RCB.
Her career was stalled for over a year after persistent shin splints sustained during the Women’s T20 World Cup in October 2024 led to repeated rehabilitation spells at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence, forcing her to miss the WPL, multiple international tours, and the home World Cup. The prolonged layoff took a mental toll and created uncertainty around her future, especially in franchise cricket, as she revealed in a recent interaction.
Post game, her maiden 5-fer, she reflected on the period away from the game, sharing, “I am very happy to get my first WPL five-for. I have gone through a rollercoaster ride personally. I came out of it in a very strong way. Credit goes to my support system. My coach, uncle, aunt and grandparents and sister are all here. Just the fact that I was out of cricket for 14 months was a big blow for me because I can’t sit quietly. I need to be out on the field.
“Very happy with the preparation over the last few months and happy that my execution is now falling in place. I am a wicket-taking bowler. Because the drift I get, the turn I get and bounce I get, I have not seen much. I don’t know why I am giving so much credit to myself (chuckles)… I kept things simple, got those arm balls going and bowled a lot of off spinners and bowling to left-handers is a big advantage. Smriti keeps saying you have to get all the left-handers out in this tournament.”
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