Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Delhi Capitals by eight wickets in the ongoing Women’s Premier League owing to a spectacular 47-ball 81 from Smriti Mandhana.
Together with Danni Wyatt-Hodge, who opened with a solid 42 off 33 balls, the two created a strong 107-run partnership in just 55 balls, which made the chase appear effortless. With her aggressive stroke play, Mandhana destroyed Delhi’s bowling attack and gave RCB the upper hand right away.
As RCB chased down 141 in 16.2 overs, Richa Ghosh made sure there were no stumbles after Mandhana’s removal by clinching the match with a six off just five balls. Even though her team successfully chased 201 runs to win the previous game, Smriti Mandhana only managed 9 runs off 7 balls.
Reflecting on her mindset from the previous match to this one she remarked, “Last match I was really annoyed with myself, the ball was meant to be hit and I went in my shell and didn’t so today I really wanted to come out and play positive cricket.”
After her unbelievable chase, Mandhana talked about how she was a little anxious before she batted since she thought the wicket was holding up a little, but she kept her composure and didn’t allow herself to think too much and played freely.
Smriti showed off her power with a spectacular 81-run innings that included three sixes and ten fours. She demonstrated her variety of strokes by hitting Marizanne Kapp with sweeps, inside-out drives, and a strong pull shot over deep mid-wicket.
In just 27 balls, Smriti achieved her fastest fifty of the competition, establishing the tone for RCB’s commanding chase. The openers maintained pressure on Delhi’s bowlers as they quickly reached 50 runs in five overs. Her intention was clear when she hit back-to-back boundaries from Shikha Pandey and a huge six over long-off against Arundhati Reddy, guaranteeing RCB’s control throughout the chase.
When discussing how her bowlers helped limit Delhi to just 141 runs, Mandhana gave her bowlers credit for their accuracy and skill. She emphasised the team’s trust and communication.
She said, “More than anger and passion it was happiness, we planned something, and it came off. For Georgia to come back from the first match I think she had gone for a few runs but the way she came back and bowled the way she did was brilliant to watch. She was our strike bowler; you can go for some runs but get us wickets and she got us all the top wickets.”
With a disciplined display, the RCB bowlers laid the platform for victory by holding the Delhi Capitals to 141 in 19.3 overs. Leading the attack were Renuka Singh Thakur (3/23) and Georgia Wareham (3/24) who kept up the pressure and took wickets on a regular basis.
Wareham made a good return against Delhi after struggling against Gujarat in the previous game, giving up 50 runs in just 3 overs at an economy of 16.67. With three vital wickets of Jemimah Rodrigues, Sarah Bryce and Radha Yadav during her game-winning spell, she showed tenacity and assisted RCB in retaking control.
In addition to Wareham, Smriti Mandhana acknowledged Player of the Match Renuka Singh for her superb bowling performance. The Indian pacer’s full deliveries and flawless length proved too good to be managed as she took three vital wickets, dismissing Shafali Verma, Annabel Sutherland, and Shikha Pandey. This season, Renuka has been a reliable player for RCB as she strikes early and maintains good pace and also made an impression in her debut against Gujarat, taking two wickets.
She added, “I am really really happy for Renuka. I mean this year she has come in with a lot of positivity. She is waiting for me to wave a hand at her and she’s ready to bowl whenever she has come in the middle overs, and she has got us wickets.”
The WPL 2025 games will move to Bengaluru from February 21. RCB and Mumbai Indians will play their first encounter there. Speaking on the same, Mandhana shared, “Bangalore is a different condition so we have to start focusing on how we can do better in those conditions so we will keep building on it.”
Fans will be eager to observe how the team’s play will be impacted and how Smriti as captain will stand up to the challenge. With a great start to the season winning 2 out of 2, RCB will now turn their attention to the upcoming games with the goal of maintaining their momentum and improving their performance.
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