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Smriti Mandhana’s Blazing 81 Powers RCB to a Dominant Win Over DC

RCB vs DC Women’s WPL 2025: Smriti Mandhana Shines in Bengaluru’s Dominant 8-Wicket Win

RCB Dominate Delhi Capitals with an Emphatic Eight-Wicket Victory

Royal Challengers Bengaluru outclassed the Delhi Capitals with a commanding eight-wicket win, chasing down the target with 3.4 overs to spare. A clinical bowling display, spearheaded by Renuka Singh Thakur and Georgia Wareham—both claiming three wickets—restricted the Capitals to 141. Captain Smriti Mandhana then led from the front with a blistering 81, her highest WPL score, forming a dominant 107-run opening stand with Danielle Wyatt-Hodge (42).

Capitals Struggle After Strong Start

Put in to bat due to the expected dew factor in the second innings, Delhi had a disastrous start as Shafali Verma fell for a first-ball duck, chipping straight to mid-off. Jemimah Rodrigues narrowly survived an LBW appeal off Thakur, benefiting from the umpire’s call. Rodrigues and Meg Lanning cautiously navigated the early swing before counterattacking with boundaries off Thakur and Kim Garth.

Their aggressive intent paid off as they took 14 runs off Ekta Bisht and punished young Joshitha VJ for 15 in an over. The duo added 50 runs in just four overs, bringing up their partnership milestone. However, just as Delhi looked to accelerate, Wareham struck, stumping Rodrigues with a clever delivery. Five balls later, Lanning top-edged Garth to fine-leg, falling right after the strategic timeout.

RCB capitalized on the breakthroughs, applying relentless pressure as the Capitals went 22 balls without a boundary. Annabel Sutherland briefly broke the shackles with a slog-swept six but fell to Renuka soon after. Jess Jonassen and Marizanne Kapp, brought into the XI for this match, failed to make an impact, raising questions over the decision to drop Niki Prasad. Delhi collapsed from 60/1 to 105/6 as RCB’s disciplined bowling attack tightened the screws. Sarah Bryce (23 off 19) attempted to push the Capitals past 150, but Wareham stumped her before Thakur and Garth cleaned up the tail.

Mandhana’s Masterclass Seals the Win

In reply, RCB wasted no time as Mandhana launched into Kapp with two early boundaries. Wyatt-Hodge also got into the act, taking on Shikha Pandey for four boundaries across two overs, while Mandhana dispatched Arundhati Reddy for a towering six over extra cover. By the end of the PowerPlay, RCB had raced to 57 without loss.

The carnage continued as Sutherland and Jonassen proved ineffective, with Mandhana racing to her fastest WPL fifty off just 27 balls. Wyatt-Hodge was dropped by Rodrigues but was eventually dismissed after RCB had already crossed the 100-run mark inside 10 overs.

A miscommunication in the field between Lanning and Sutherland allowed Ellyse Perry a reprieve, adding to Delhi’s woes. Mandhana smashed Sutherland for a boundary before slog-sweeping Jonassen to bring the equation down to 11 runs. She eventually fell, attempting a scoop to fine-leg, but the match was all but sealed. Richa Ghosh wrapped up proceedings in style with a four and a six, ensuring RCB’s dominant start to the season continued.

Brief Scores:
Delhi Capitals – 141 in 19.3 overs (Jemimah Rodrigues 34, Sarah Bryce 23; Renuka Singh Thakur 3-23, Georgia Wareham 3-25)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru – 146/2 in 16.2 overs (Smriti Mandhana 81, Danielle Wyatt-Hodge 42; Shikha Pandey 1-27)
Result: RCB won by 8 wickets.