The much-awaited 3rd edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) has finally got underway. It has truly lived up to its expectations, with a blockbuster opening clash between defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Giants on 14th February 2025 (Friday).
Smriti Mandhana and Co. played like a champion side to spoil the party for Gujarat Giants who made their home debut at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara under a new skipper Ashleigh Gardner.
Giants’ skipper led from the front with an unbeaten half-century (79* off 37 balls), alongside a crafty half-century from the wicket-keeper batter Beth Mooney as they posted their joint-highest total in WPL of 201/5 in their quota of 20 overs after the home side were inserted to bat first by Smriti Mandhana.
Chasing a massive total of 202, the defending champions were under a lot of pressure despite Ellyse Perry’s crucial half-century (57 off 34 balls). Richa Ghosh was dropped on the first ball of her innings, the visitors still needed 89 runs in the last seven overs of the run chase.
“When both of us were in the middle, we were talking about how to take the game deep, how many runs were required, we were a bit under pressure in the middle, but we didn’t let the pressure get to us. Kanika (Ahuja) provided brilliant support from the other end with the kind of attacking shots she played, to get the momentum in our favour.
“I feel Kanika’s knock was also very crucial, with the way she scored those boundaries and rotated the strike, which was very important considering the game situation at that point in time,” Richa Ghosh shared a sneak peek into her conversation with Kanika Ahuja en route to their game-changing 93-run 5th wicket partnership.
The swashbuckling Indian wicket-keeper batter Richa Ghosh along with Kanika Ahuja (30* off 13 balls) made the home side pay big time for the lapses on the field as they eventually powered their side over the line with a comfortable six-wicket win and 9 balls to spare. Richa was also awarded the Player of the Match for her match-defining innings with the bat for her side.
Kanika Ahuja also revealed her admiration for Richa Ghosh after the game, saying “Richa is just unbelievable, whenever she plays in practice, I keep watching her, admiring her and how she’s generating power, for me she’s a legend. I knew until Richa was there at the crease, that we could easily win the game, and she also trusted me a lot.”
Richa Ghosh took to Instagram to share glimpses from her match winning performance, posting pictures with her partner-in-victory Kanika Ahuja, snaps of the energetic RCB fans cheering in the crowd as well as the photos of her receiving the Player of the Match Award along with the Super Striker Award. She expressed her gratitude with a heartfelt caption: “A night to remember, and this one’s for all of you who back me every single time. More to come.”
The Smriti Mandhana-led side will next be up against the Delhi Capitals led by skipper Meg Lanning in the 2nd game of their campaign and the 4th game of the tournament at the Kotambi Stadium, in Vadodara on 17th February 2025 (Monday) from 7:30 PM IST.
(Quotes sourced from video on WPLT20 on Instagram)
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