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Royal Challengers Bengaluru registered their straight second win of the WPL 2025, as they defeated telecoms by six wickets in Vadodara on Monday. Smriti Mandhana's 81 from 47 and Renuka Singh's three wickets helped them get an easy win to reach the top of the points table. RCB chased down Delhi's 142-run target with 22 balls to go and 8 wickets in hands.
Renuka and Wareham impressed for RCB with the ball
Smriti Mandhana won the toss and decided to bowl first on a wicket that was a little bit damp as per the pitch report. Renuka Singh Thakur, just like the first match, struck early to give moment term to RCB.
The Indian medium pacer dismissed dangerous Shafali Verma on a golden duck. But Jemimah Rodrigues and captain Meg Lanning made sure Delhi Capitals were off to a good start in the first inning.
Though Lanning was steady and slow, Jemimah looked apart with shots around the ground. She hit two sixes one over the cover and one over square leg to prove her range of shots. However, it was her willingness to hit too many kinds of shots, which was the cause of her dismissal.
Despite scoring at more than 150 strike rate, Jemimah decided to play a reverse sweep and was stumped by Richa Ghosh off Georgia Wareham on 34 off 22.
It was her wicket that gave the momentum back to RCB as Kim Garth dismissed Meg Lanning with a short ball in the next over. Except for Sarah Bryce’s 23 from 19, no Delhi Capitals batter could get a start and eventually, they were bundled out for 141 in the first inning.
Renuka Singh won the Purple cap after here 23/3 while Georgia Wareham also took 3 for 24. Kim Garth and Ekta Bisht finished with two wickets each for RCB as well.
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— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) February 17, 2025
Renuka Singh Thakur now holds the Purple Cap of WPL 2025 after her 23/3 against Delhi Capitals.
RCB need 142 to register their second win. #DCvsRCB | #RenukaSingh | #WPL2025 | #DelhiCapitals | #RCB pic.twitter.com/3PYEPdqX6Z
Mandhana show during the chase
In the second innings, RCB captain Smirti Mandhana and Danni Wyatt-Hodge gave the defending champions a solid opening start which enabled them to chase down the total easily. Their powerplay score of 57/0 gave them a solid platform to finish well.
In a small tournament like the Women’s Premier League, where matches are less, net run rate is something every team wants to have in their kitty. RCB after a great start also wanted to have a higher net run rate against Delhi Capitals.
Smriti Mandhana completed her first fifty of the season in 27 balls while Danni Wyatt-Hodge kept on supporting her from the other end. Soon, their partnership crossed 100 in just 62 balls to stamp their authority.
Danni (42 off 33) was dismissed while going for a big shot against Arundhati Reddy but Mandhana kept on striking at her best to ensure RCB managed an easy win.
Delhi could have made a comeback in the match but just like last match Ellyse Perry was dropped on 1 off Jess Jonassen. They finally struck back but it was already too late for them. Shikha Pandey dismissed Mandhana while playing a scoop on 81 from 47, her highest in WPL career. However, only 9 were needed at that time.
In the end, Richa Ghosh ended the game with a huge six to take RCB to the top of the points table with 22 balls to go in the match.
DC vs RCB WPL 2025 Match Summary
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— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) February 17, 2025
Two out of two wins for the defending champions as Smriti Mandhana's 81 helped RCB beat Delhi Capitals by 8 wickets and 22 balls to go! π₯#WPL2025 #SmritiMandhana #RCB #DCvsRCB pic.twitter.com/HWs6sT1u8S
