WPL 2025: Smriti Mandhana Gets Candid on RCB"s Thrilling Win Against Gujarat Giants

Even if Royal Challengers Bengaluru's WPL debut wasn't perfect, skipper Smriti Mandhana was thrilled to have an entertaining game. Their middle order, which was led by Richa Ghosh, Kanika Ahuja, and Ellyse Perry, propelled the reigning champions to a stunning total of 202 to chase after they had recorded the fourth-highest total in WPL history. 

At the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara, the Gujarat Giants were defeated by six wickets by the team captained by Smriti Mandhana. To get off to the best start possible in the third edition of the Women's Premier League, RCB accomplished a record chase in the WPL. 

With six wickets remaining, RCB achieved the most successful run chase in the history of the event by chasing down 202 runs in 19 overs. Prior to this, the record was held by the Mumbai Indians, who defeated the Gujarat Giants in the 2024 edition after chasing down 191 runs. Despite being removed for nine in the second over, Smriti Mandhana praised her teammates for taking the initiative.

Smriti Mandhana After Match:

She said after the match, "It was brilliant to watch. They (Ahuja and Ghosh) have been doing this in the nets for the past week, so I’m really happy it clicked today. With the dew setting in, we knew we were always in the game. The way Richa and Pez (Perry) batted was amazing." 

Ashleigh Gardner's incredible 79 off 37 balls gave the Gujarat Giants a strong start before they first dismissed Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Mandhana. Their game was negatively impacted by their fielding mishap, which included misfields, lost catches, overthrows, and missed run-outs. Perry provided RCB with a vital 57 off 34, and subsequently, Ghosh (64* off 27) and Ahuja (30* off 13) completely changed the course of the match.

Additionally, the Gujarat Giants and RCB recorded the biggest match total in WPL history. In the opening match of the WPL 2025 in Vodadara, both teams scored 403 runs. This match's 16 sixes rank second in the WPL behind the Delhi Capitals vs. RCB game at Bengaluru in 2024, which had 19 sixes hit.

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