WPL 2026 Points Table Updated: RCB Women Beat Gujarat Giants by 61 Runs

Royal Challengers Bengaluru continue their winning streak, winning all five of their matches so far. They are the first team to reach the playoffs this season. They played very well and beat their opponents by 61 runs in Vadodara.

Earlier in the day, much like the reverse fixture, RCB failed to get off to a solid start. They were asked to bat first tonight by Ashleigh Gardner. Renuka Singh Thakur struck in the very first over, dismissing Grace Harris for 1 and putting RCB under immediate pressure. Kashvee Gautam followed it up in the next over by removing Georgia Voll, pushing RCB further onto the back foot. Skipper Smriti Mandhana then joined Gautami Naik and the duo began the task of rebuilding the innings together. At the end of the powerplay, RCB Women were 37/2.

The pair added a solid 60-run partnership off 45 balls for the third wicket, steadying the innings after the early blows. Ashleigh Gardner brought herself back into the attack in the 10th over and made an immediate impact by dismissing her opposite number, Smriti Mandhana, for 26 off 23 balls. Richa Ghosh then joined Gautami Naik and the duo stitched together an excellent 69-run stand for the fourth wicket. Gautami Naik went on to bring up her maiden WPL half-century off 42 balls, capping off a memorable innings. She eventually departed for a superb 73 off 55 balls, while valuable contributions down the order from Richa Ghosh with 27 off 20, Radha Yadav with a quick 17 off 8, and Shreyanka Patil’s brisk 8* off 2 helped RCB post a strong total of 178/6 from their allotted 20 overs.

RCB Women Extend Winning Streak with 61-Run Victory Over Gujarat Giants

In reply, the Gujarat Giants endured a nightmare start with the bat and found themselves under immediate pressure. Sayali Satghare delivered a massive double blow in the second over, striking twice to remove both Giants openers, dismissing Beth Mooney for 3 and Sophie Devine for a duck. The pressure continued to mount as Lauren Bell struck in the very next over, cleaning up Kanika Ahuja for a three-ball duck. At one stage, the Giants were in complete disarray at 5/3.

Anushka Sharma and skipper Ashleigh Gardner tried to steady the innings with a 29-run stand off 25 balls for the fourth wicket. Anushka looked composed in the middle but was eventually removed by Nadine de Klerk for 18 off 20 balls. The Giants, however, continued to lose wickets in clusters and never really gained any momentum in the chase. Smriti Mandhana marshalled her troops magnificently, keeping the pressure on at all times.

Ashleigh Gardner struggled early on but found some rhythm later to bring up her half-century off 39 balls, before being dismissed for 54 off 43 deliveries. In the end, Gujarat Giants could only manage 117/8 from their 20 overs, going down by a heavy 61-run margin. Sayali Satghare (3/21) was the pick of the bowlers for RCB.

WPL 2026 Points Table

×

T20 World Cup 2026: Donovan Ferreira Ruled Out as SA Likely to Replace Him with Stubbs or Rickelton The preparations for the T20 World Cup in South Africa have been badly affected due to the injury mentioned above sustained by Donovan Ferreira, who has fractured his shoulder in the Joburg Super Kings (JSK) game against the Pretoria Capitals (PC) in the SA20.

by K D Mishra January 19, 2026