The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 caravan moved to the Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara, in the ongoing 4th edition of the tournament on 19th January 2026. Gujarat Giants, led by Ashleigh Gardner, suffered their 3rd consecutive defeat. They had a positive start to their campaign by winning their first couple of games this season.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru, led by skipper Smriti Mandhana, are on a remarkable winning run, extending the winning streak to 5, being the only unbeaten side in the ongoing season. They also became the first team to secure a spot in the playoffs of the ongoing 4th edition of the tournament.
The home skipper, Ashleigh Gardner, won the toss and opted to bowl first. Gujarat Giants’ new-ball bowlers Renuka Singh Thakur and Kashveee Gautam yet again provided them with a dream start, reducing the visitors to 9/2 in the 2nd over of the innings, removing the overseas duo of Grace Harris and Georgia Voll at the top of the order.
Youngster Gautami Naik displayed impressive composure to lead the recovery, via crucial partnerships. She also registered her maiden half-century in the WPL. Radha Yadav (17 off 8 balls) and the wicket-keeper batter Richa Ghosh (27 off 20 balls) chipped in with vital contributions with the bat for their side. Shreyanka Patil smashed a couple of boundaries in the final couple of balls in their innings as RCB ended with a total of 178/6 in their quota of 20 overs.
Kashvee Gautam (4-0-38-2) and skipper Ashleigh Gardner (4-0-43-2) picked up a couple of wickets each, while Renuka Singh (4-0-23-1) and Sophie Devine (4-0-25-1) were impressive with the ball for their side.
Chasing a target of 179, the Giants top-order looked absolutely clueless to a breathtaking display of swing bowling from the new-ball bowlers Lauren Bell and Sayali Satghare. The home side were reduced to 5/3 in the 3rd over of the run chase, pushing them on the back foot. The youngster Anushka Sharma (18 off 20 balls) kept her calm to lead a crucial recovery alongside skipper Ashleigh Gardner.
The Giants kept losing wickets at the other end, leaving skipper Ashleigh Gardner frustrated at the other end, fighting a lone battle for her side. She registered her 2nd half-century in the ongoing season. However, she wasn’t able to guide her side over the line courtesy of a lack of support from the other end. As a result, the Giants fell 61 runs short after being restricted to 117/8 in their quota of 20 overs, suffering their 3rd consecutive defeat this season.
Top Performers: Gujarat Giants Vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Gautami Naik
She came in at number 4 when her side was in deep trouble at 9/2 in the 2nd over of the innings after being inserted by the Giants skipper Ashleigh Gardner. She kept her composure and took the innings deep alongside skipper Smriti Mandhana, stitching a much-needed 60-run partnership for the 3rd wicket, leading a decent recovery for her side. She didn’t let the departure of skipper Smriti Mandhana (26 off 23 balls) in the 10th over of the innings affect her.
She was then joined by the wicket-keeper batter Richa Ghosh (27 off 20 balls), and the duo laid the foundation of a strong finish with another solid 69-run partnership for the 4th wicket, which also took them closer to the 140-run mark. Gautami Naik registered her maiden half-century (73 off 55 balls) before getting dismissed in the 18th over of the innings. Her knock included 7 boundaries and a maximum.
Sayali Satghare
Sayali Satghare shockingly went unsold in the mega auctions. However, yet again, destiny had other plans for her as she came in as a replacement for Ellyse Perry. She had to wait for her opportunity this season; however, she hasn’t wasted any time to leave a mark in the tournament, returning with a 3-fer in her spell against Delhi Capitals. She had a similar start to her spell against the Gujarat Giants, dismissing Beth Mooney on the first ball of her spell in the 2nd over, backing that up with another scalp of Sophie Devine in the same over, to push the opposition firmly on the back foot.
She complemented her new-ball bowling partner, Lauren Bell (4-1-23-1). She landed another decisive blow by dismissing the opposition skipper, Ashleigh Gardner, in the 17th over of the run chase, to return with impressive match figures (4-0-21-3) in her spell with the ball for her side.
Nadine de Klerk
The in-form South African all-rounder Nadine de Klerk has been the stand-out performer with the bat as well as with the ball, forming a vital cog of RCB’s unreal dominance and the fact that they’re the only unbeaten side in the tournament so far. Against Gujarat Giants, she didn’t have much of an opportunity to make an impact with the bat on a tricky wicket. However, she delivered a significant impact with the ball in her spell of 4-0-17-2, accounting for the scalps of Anushka Sharma and Georgia Wareham. Gujarat Giants were restricted to 117/8 in their quota of 20 overs, falling 61 runs short of the target.
Renuka Singh Thakur
The swing queen of India, Renuka Singh, yet again dominated with the ball in the powerplay, alongside the likes of Kashvee Gautam (4-0-38-2), providing the Ashleigh Gardner-led Giants with a dream start, after winning the toss and opting to bowl first. Renuka returned with exceptional figures of 3-0-11-1 in the power play, picking up the big wicket of Grace Harris, eventually giving away just 23 runs in her four-over spell.
Ashleigh Gardner
The Gujarat Giants skipper, Ashleigh Gardner, led from the front yet again with an all-round show. However, it wasn’t enough for her side to get over the line. Winning the toss and opting to bowl first, she picked up two crucial wickets of the opposition skipper, Smriti Mandhana (26 off 23 balls) and Gautami Naik (73 off 55 balls) in her spell, to limit the damage, conceding 43 runs in her quota of 4 overs. The Gujarat Giants restricted RCB to 178/6.
Chasing a stiff total of 179 on a tricky wicket, she fought the lone battle for her side as she kept losing partners from the other end, leaving her frustrated and helpless. The lack of support and the impetus from the other end left too much for the Giant’s skipper to do. Despite all that, she registered a gritty half-century (54 off 43 balls), her 2nd this season and 7th overall in the WPL. Her knock included 5 boundaries and a maximum. Her departure in the 17th over of the run chase proved to be the decisive blow for the home side as they eventually fell 61 runs short of the target, succumbing to their 3rd consecutive defeat this season.
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