In the aftermath of Gujarat Giants’ 32-run defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Match 9 of Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, head coach Michael Klinger faced the media with characteristic candour.
RCB’s historic hat-trick of wins, powered by Radha Yadav’s maiden half-century (66 off 47) and Shreyanka Patil’s maiden five-wicket haul (3.5-0-23-5). In the run chase of 183, the Giants were eventually bundled out for 150 with 7 balls to spare, suffering their second successive loss after a promising start. Klinger dissected team selections, standout performances like Bharti Fulmali’s gritty 39 off 20, and bowling lapses that handed RCB’s rescue act the edge.
Klinger defended his unchanged lineup, spotlighting the retention of power-hitter Bharti Fulmali, who joined as an injury replacement for Harleen Deol in WPL 2024 and returned via RTM for 70 lakhs in the 2025 mega auction. “I wouldn’t say it’s a conscious effort; we’re picking up what we think is our best team every game. Bharti has been excellent for us for a couple of years now, and she’s got power that not many players in India have, so she is a fantastic player for us. That’s why we ensured that we get her in the auction, bid for her and retain her (via an RTM option).”
Fulmali’s middle-order fireworks, a 56-run stand with Kashvee Gautam (18 off 14, 4-0-42-2), kept hopes alive from 63/4, her strike rate of 195 underscoring her season form (92 runs at 191.66 SR, joint third for Giants). Yet Klinger noted the pressure mounted too high. “Yeah, I mean, in the best-case scenario, we love her coming in a little bit later. But today she showed that she can play a different role. We always felt we had a chance in there with like 50 runs off 4 overs. In other games, we’ve got 50 runs off 4 overs pretty easily at the back end. Probably left a bit too much for her to do.”
Debutant Shivani Singh earned praise for her fielding, including a sharp catch, while Klinger explained limited roles for spinners like Tanuja Kanwer (Giants’ second-highest wicket-taker ever with 23 at 31.86 avg) and Rajeshwari Gayakwad. “I think Shivani was a very good fielder, as you saw with that catch she took. Her position is more of a floating position there, and we felt that she is probably the best fielder in our team.”
He backed skipper Ashleigh Gardner’s calls, prioritising pacers and overseas all-rounders (Sophie Devine 3/31, Georgia Wareham 1/35) over matchup tweaks: “Ashleigh Gardner backs that group of five, and other days they’ll get opportunities as they have in the previous games.”
Reflecting on Radha Yadav’s Player of the Match dominance, her 105-run stand with Richa Ghosh (44 off 28) rescuing RCB from 43/4, Klinger admitted execution flaws post-powerplay. Renuka Singh’s record 23-run opening over and a dropped Nadine de Klerk (26 off 12) proved costly in RCB’s 182/7. “We just outside the powerplay didn’t quite get our lines right with the ball, gave a lot of free boundaries. So that’s something we obviously need to rectify when we play RCB in the first game in Vadodara.”
Gujarat Giants, led by skipper Ashleigh Gardner, will be up against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, led by skipper Smriti Mandhana, the only unbeaten side in the ongoing 4th edition of the tournament on 19th January 2026 (Monday) from 7:30 PM IST at the Kotambi Stadium to kickstart their home fixtures this season. With two losses staining their campaign, Klinger’s measured take signals resilience amid a stacked squad. The Giants eye a rebound, leaning on Fulmali’s finishing nous and bowling depth in the squad.
Loves all things female cricket