Mandhana, bowlers assist RCB with cruising past Delhi Capitals

Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) made short work of a full-strength Delhi Capitals by keeping their batting line-up to 141 and then chasing the total down with ease to continue the trend of the chasing side winning, for the fourth game in a row. Even though RCB were without the trio of Sophie Molineux, Shreyanka Patil and Asha Sobhana, which brought them glory in last year's final against DC, the trio of Renuka Singh, Ekta Bisht and Georgia Wareham combined to bundle out DC to a below-par total. In answer, RCB openers Smriti Mandhana and Danni Wyatt-Hodge put on their subsequent century stand, having prior done as such for Southern Fearless in the Hundred of every 2021. Mandhana scored her quickest WPL 50 years, off 27 balls, and Wyatt-Hodge peppered the off side with six fours out of her seven during her 42 off 33. When she fell in the eleventh over, RCB required just 35 off 55 and they traveled over the line in the seventeenth over. Rodrigues drives DC in the powerplay, Lanning scratchy once more Renuka landed DC the principal large blow when Shafali Verma struck her most memorable ball for the least complex of gets to mid-off for a brilliant duck. With Meg Lanning looking scratchy at the opposite end, very much as she did against Shabnim Ismail two days prior, it was Jemimah Rodrigues who drove DC in the powerplay. Rodrigues herself didn't begin excessively well - she endure a survey on nothing and took six balls to get off the imprint - however she sent off into the RCB assault from the start of twist, magnificently lobbing Ekta Bisht over the covers for a six. DC were additionally helped by a lot of byes and additional items in the powerplay which Rodrigues joined with one more six and two fours off VJ Joshitha in the 6th over to allow DC their second 50 or more powerplay in as many games. Jemimah Rodrigues struck a speedy 22-ball 34, Delhi Capitals versus Illustrious Challengers Bengaluru, WPL 2025, Vadodara, February 17, 2025 DC disintegrate again after the powerplay RCB, nonetheless, made advances through the presentation of Georgia Wareham in the seventh over. When Rodrigues missed a converse scope to be confused instantly by Richa Ghosh for 34 off 22, DC lost Lanning too in the following over when the commander miscued Kim Garth to Ellyse Perry at profound in reverse square leg. Annabel Sutherland before long sent off Bisht for a major six on the leg side to show that DC wouldn't have been hindered by the twofold blow however her going after approach gave a catch directly to cover in Renuka's subsequent spell. New player Jess Jonassen miscued Bisht to midwicket five balls later and DC had unexpectedly slipped from 60 for 1 to 87 for 5. It might have been 95 for 6 had Kanika Ahuja not put down Marizanne Kapp at short fine leg and, surprisingly, 103 for 6 if the misunderstanding among Kapp and Sarah Bryce had not been trailed by a mishandle, likewise by Ahuja, however it became 105 for 6 when Kapp holed out to long off a 69.2kph conveyance from Bisht. Bryce contributed with one more helpful appearance with a 23 off 19 that saw RCB past 125 yet they required significantly more to make a match out of this. Wareham gave them a twofold blow in the eighteenth over and Garth enveloped things with the last over to wrap up with 2 for 19, while Renuka stowed 3 for 23 and Wareham 3 for 25. Indeed, even with Kapp and Jonassen back in the XI subsequent to recuperating from disorder, DC scarcely represented any difficulties for the RCB top request. Mandhana capitalized on the rebellious lines from Kapp in the main finished and reversed the situation of her record against offspinners (she's been out to them multiple times in the WPL) when she cleared Minnu Mani for two fours in the third finished. Wyatt-Hodge penetrated the holes square on the off side, particularly against Shikha Pandey, for four fours in the powerplay. At 57 for 0 in the powerplay, RCB's asking rate was a little more than six an over. In any event, bowling changes didn't work for DC. Both Jonassen and Annabel Sutherland were trucked for fours by the two hitters in their most memorable overs, and when the dependable Rodrigues dropped Wyatt-Hodge on 34 after Mandhana had gathered consecutive limits, the game was everything except over. Mandhana dispatched Kapp for six over midwicket and kept on going after Jonassen with lobbed strokes on the off side to take her for 27 runs off 14 on the evening. Despite the fact that the two openers fell towards the end, Ellyse Perry and Ghosh guaranteed there were no nerves to seal the eight-wicket win and top the table.