By Anushka Rajvedi
Smriti Mandhana, the captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru led her team to victory by defeating Delhi Capitals by eight wickets on Monday.
The Women’s Premier League, WPL kicked off on 14 February 2025 with the opening match between Gujarat Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. RCB trashed Giants by nine wickets. RCB however, refused to stop there. The winning team defeated Delhi Capitals at the Vadodara Stadium on 17 February 2025, Monday by eight wickets.
The team set a challenging target for the opponent team, when they made 50 runs in just five overs. The Indian team vice- captain and the captain of RCB, Smriti Mandhana along with Danni- Wyatt-Hodge, the opening duo, achieved the target of 107 runs in just 55 balls. The bowlers of the team also made it difficult for Delhi Capitals to achieve their target. With Renuka Singh taking down three wickets in just 23 runs and Georgia Wareham bowling down 3 wickets in 25 runs, Delhi Capitals were knocked down by RCB with just 141 runs in 19.3 overs.
While the team was lauded for their efforts by the former captain of Indian Women’s cricket team, the highlight of the match was the performance of the RCB captain, Smriti Mandhana. Breaking all her previous records, during the match, she reached her first early fifty-run target in just 27 balls. Mandhana hit 10 fours and three sixes, which set a challenge for the opponent team, the Delhi Capitals.
In an interview with JioHotstar, Mithali Raj lauded Smriti Mandhana and said that,” every decision made by her has set a new record in the tournament. Her opening partnership with Danni-Wyatt-Hodge laid a strong foundation for the team to chase victory.” Raj further complimented the Indian bowler Renuka Singh for her bowling skills. She stated that, “the wicket of Shefali Verma, which was bowled by Renuka Singh and caught by Smriti Mandhana in the very first over, is what led RCB to take control of the match.”
After the victory of this match, RCB has now taken the top spot in the table. Delhi Capitals have taken the third spot after losing the match.