The home side Gujarat Giants notched up their maiden victory at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara when they defeated UP Warriorz led by skipper Deepti Sharma by 6 wickets in the 3rd game of the 2025 Women’s Premier League (WPL).
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru led by skipper Smriti Mandhana were up against Delhi Capitals led by skipper Meg Lanning in the 4th match of the season in Vadodara. Both sides made a few changes, with the veteran left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht replacing Prema Rawat for RCB, while Marizanne Kapp and Jess Jonassen replaced Alice Capsey and Niki Prasad in the 11 for Delhi Capitals.
Wareham, Renuka and Garth steal the show with the ball for RCB
Renuka Singh Thakur removed the dangerous Shafali Verma for a golden duck on the 2nd ball of the innings after skipper Smriti Mandhana won the toss and opted to field first in Vadodara. Jemimah Rodrigues joined skipper Meg Lanning at the crease and the pair took full toll of the powerplay with a much-needed 59-run partnership for the 2nd wicket, scoring at a rate of around 9 runs an over.
Georgia Wareham enticed Jemimah Rodrigues (34 off 22 balls) to drag her foot outside the crease in her attempt to sweep, only to get stumped, providing the much-needed 2nd breakthrough for her side. She chipped in with a crucial cameo with the bat for her side.
The Capitals lost wickets at regular intervals. Cameos from wicket-keeper batter Sarah Bryce (23 off 19 balls), Annabel Sutherland (19 off 13 balls) and Shikha Pandey (14 off 15 balls) took the team’s total closer to the 150-run mark before being bundled out for 141 with three balls to spare, giving their bowlers something to bowl at.
Renuka Singh Thakur (4-0-23-3), and Georgia Wareham (4-0-25-3) picked up three wickets each, while Kim Garth (3.3-0-19-2), and Ekta Bisht (4-0-35-2) played their part, bagging a couple of wickets each with the ball for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Smriti Mandhana and Danielle Wyatt-Hodge make light work of the run chase
The dynamic opening pair Danielle Wyatt-Hodge and Smriti Mandhana took the fizz out of the run chase with a decisive 107-run opening stand, scoring at a rate of around 10 runs an over. Arundhati Reddy picked up the wicket of Danielle Wyatt-Hodge (42 off 33 balls) to provide the much-needed first breakthrough for the Delhi Capitals.
Skipper Smriti Mandhana notched up her career-best score (81 off 47 balls) in the history of the WPL before Shikha Pandey denied her the finishing touches by removing her in the 16th over of the run chase to provide the 2nd breakthrough for her side.
Wicket-keeper batter Richa Ghosh (11* off 5 balls) joined Ellyse Perry (7* off 13 balls) and the keeper-batter finished things off in style with a maximum, sealing the game by 8 wickets and 22 balls to spare. Shikha Pandey (4-0-27-1), and Arundhati Reddy (3.2-0-25-1) were the only wicket-takers with the ball for Delhi Capitals.
Renuka Singh Thakur was awarded the Player of the Match for her sensational spell of 4-0-23-3 with the ball for the defending champions, playing a crucial role in helping her side seal a dominant victory as they climb to the top of the table.
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