A confident Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Women’s team walked into DY Patil Stadium, fully aware that a strong performance against Delhi Capitals could strengthen the tone for their Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 campaign. Their skipper, Smriti Mandhana, gave a stellar performance that resonated throughout the tournament.
Delhi Capitals were sent into bat first and, despite losing wickets consistently, they managed to put up a fight with Shafali Verma leading the charge. She played a pivotal innings, scoring 62 runs off 41 balls, with five fours and four sixes. Lizelle Lee fell early for just 4 runs, bowled by the impressive Lauren Bell, who made an impact right from the start.
The Capitals faced more early setbacks when Laura Wolvaardt went for a duck, also falling to Bell, and skipper Jemimah Rodrigues could only muster 4 runs off 3 balls before being dismissed by Sayali Satghare. This left Delhi Capitals reeling at 3-10, just two overs in. Things took a turn for the worse when Marizanne Kapp also got out for 0, becoming Satghare’s second victim and pushing the Capitals into a precarious situation at 4-10.
A bit of consolidation came from Niki Prasad, who scored 12 runs off 14 balls before falling lbw to Prema Rawat, leaving the score at 5-69. Minnu Mani contributed a quick 5 runs off 4 balls, but once she was out, the innings found some life thanks to key contributions from the lower order. Sneh Rana fought hard for her 22 runs, and Lucy Hamilton provided a brilliant late charge, scoring 36 off 19 balls with three fours and three sixes, helping Delhi reach a competitive total of 166 all out in their 20 overs.
RCB’s bowlers showcased great discipline and effectiveness in their spells. Lauren Bell finished with impressive figures of 3 for 26, while Sayali Satghare matched her with 3 for 27. Prema Rawat contributed 2 for 16, and Nadine de Klerk added a wicket as well.
In their chase for 167, RCB encountered an early setback with Grace Harris going for just 1 run, bowled by Kapp, leaving them at 14 for 1. However, from that point forward, it was all about Smriti Mandhana. The captain delivered a breathtaking 96 runs off 61 balls, hitting 13 fours and 3 sixes. Her performance was a masterclass in batting finesse. Meanwhile, Georgia Voll provided solid support, scoring 54* runs off 42 balls and effectively building on the momentum.
Together, Mandhana and Voll shared a remarkable partnership of 142 runs, nearly sealing the match before Mandhana was dismissed by Nandni Sharma with the score at 156 for 2 in the 18th over. Richa Ghosh then stepped in to wrap up the game calmly with a quick 7* runs off just 4 balls, bringing RCB to a comfortable 169 for 2 in just 18.2 overs, securing victory with ten balls to spare.
Delhi’s bowlers struggled to make breakthroughs; while Marizanne Kapp had a respectable spell with 1 for 21, and Sharma took Mandhana’s wicket late in the game, they couldn’t disrupt RCB’s relentless pursuit. Ultimately, the match belonged to Smriti Mandhana, who rightfully earned the Player of the Match award. Her commanding 96 underscored her central role in RCB’s ambitions for the WPL this season.
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