The Women's Premier League (WPL) 2023 saw a stunning victory by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) over Gujarat Giants. At Mumbai's Brabourne Stadium on March 18, Smriti Mandhana and team defeated Gujarat Giants (GG-W) by eight wickets. This is RCB's second victory in the present WPL season.
Sneh Rana, captain of the Gujarat Giants, chose to bat first after winning the toss. With the help of Laura Wolvaardt's magnificent half-century, GG-W eventually scored 188/4 in 20 overs. She hit two maximums and nine boundaries in her 68 runs off 42 balls. Ashleigh Gardner also contributed to the Gujarat innings by scoring 41 runs off of 26 balls. Shreyanka Patil took two wickets for the RCB, while Sophie Devine and Preeti Bose each took one.
Chasing a target of 189 runs, RCB sealed an easy eight-wicket victory in just 15.3 overs. RCB opener Sophie Devine smashed 99 off 36 balls, keeping RCB’s slim chances alive in the league. Her knock was studded with eight maximums and nine boundaries. In 57 deliveries, the Kiwi batter and captain Smriti Mandhana combined for a record-breaking 125 runs. Sneh Rana, the captain of the Gujarat Giants, and Kim Garth each took one wicket. On March 15, RCB defeated UP Warriorz by a margin of five wickets to win their first game of the year.
Brief scores: Gujarat Giants 188/4 in 20 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 68, Ash Gardner 41; Shreyanka Patil 2-17) lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore 189/2 in 15.3 overs (Sophie Devine 90, Smriit Mandhana 37; Sneh Rana 1-25) by 8 wickets