Vadodara, Jan 19 (IANS) A delighted skipper, Smriti Mandhana, heaped praise on Gautami Naik’s brilliant knock of 73 off 55 deliveries under pressure, which helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) recover well and put a good target on the board against Gujarat Giants in Match 12 of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 on Monday.
Asked to bat first, RCB had another shaky start. Renuka Singh Thakur struck in the opening over, dismissing Grace Harris for 1. Kashvee Gautam followed by removing Georgia Voll in the next over, putting RCB on the back foot early.
Skipper Smriti Mandhana then joined Gautami Naik. The pair focused on rebuilding and guided RCB to 37/2 at the end of the Power-play. Mandhana and Naik formed an important 60-run partnership off 45 balls for the third wicket.
“Very happy. From where we started in our batting innings, and then to get 180+ was excellent. Very, very happy for Gautami. Coming from Domestic cricket, doing well there, but performing at such a big stage and coming in to bat at 10/2, and the way she batted was outstanding. I am really proud of her. Richa, Radha & Nadine finished off the innings really well. The bowling plans were spot on, too,” said Mandhana after the match.
Naik was the heartbeat of RCB’s recovery as she found a partner in Richa Ghosh. Naik reached her maiden WPL fifty from 42 balls, while Richa contributed 27 runs from 20 balls. Their partnership was broken in the last over of RCB’s innings, as Sophie Devine trapped Richa out at long-off.
Naik’s impressive innings of 73 off 55 balls ended in the 18th over when she was bowled out by Gardner. By then, RCB were well positioned for a final push. Radha Yadav (17) and Shreyanka Patil (8 not out) made important contributions, taking advantage of the solid foundation set earlier. Their performances helped secure a strong finish, with RCB scoring 17 runs in the last over to finish at 178/6.
“I think the attitude she has had from the first game. She didn’t get the opportunity to bat in the first game, but the attitude was spot on. You can get out, you can do anything, but the attitude has to be right up there. Today again, the application was spot on from her. The wicket wasn’t easy to bat on. She understood it quickly and adapted it really well. She is not that experienced, but batted brilliantly. That was a very commendable job.”
RCB put up an incredibly aggressive performance right from the start of the defence. Sayali Satghare took full advantage of this aggression with a stunning two-wicket over in the second over. Satgarhe’s extraordinary achievements were accomplished when she caught both players, Beth Mooney (3 runs) and Sophie Devine (0 runs). In the next over, Lauren Bell joined the RCB attack, taking out Kanika Ahuja on just her third ball of her second, leaving Gujarat in dire straits, 5 for 3 at the end of three overs.
Satghare stood out among the bowlers with figures of 3-21, highlighting a strong team effort as Nadine de Klerk chipped in with 2-21.
“Amazing to see that. When you have five different match-winners in the team, it’s really pleasing to see. Everyone has had a moment in this WPL where they have maybe taken a wicket, broken a partnership, or taken a good catch. That’s something extremely special. Everyone made their contributions to the team. We are looking forward to the break. We played three games in four days, including the travel day. I am extremely proud of the girls. The message will be clear to them. I will just tell them to take a couple of days’ break, and then we will get rolling again. It’s difficult to tell this group as they are working really hard,” she concluded.
–IANS
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