Smriti Mandhana Shines as RCB Secures Fourth Consecutive Win Against Delhi Capitals
RCB Dominates DC in Women's Premier League Clash
Navi Mumbai: Captain Smriti Mandhana showcased her skills with a stunning half-century, leading Royal Challengers Bengaluru to an impressive eight-wicket victory over the struggling Delhi Capitals in the Women's Premier League on Saturday.
With this win, RCB has now claimed four consecutive victories, maintaining their position at the top of the five-team standings, while DC finds themselves at the bottom with three losses out of four matches.
Delhi Capitals, batting first, managed to score 166 runs before being all out, thanks largely to a remarkable half-century from explosive opener Shafali Verma.
Shafali scored 62 runs off 41 balls, hitting five fours and four sixes, and played a crucial role in reviving DC's innings after they were in a precarious position at 74 for 6.
Despite Shafali's efforts, Mandhana's performance overshadowed her as RCB successfully chased down the target in just 18.2 overs.
RCB's chase began on a shaky note with Grace Harris getting out in the third over, but Mandhana (96 runs off 61 balls) and Georgia Voll (54 not out off 42 balls) formed a formidable partnership, adding 142 runs for the second wicket.
Mandhana was the more aggressive of the two, while Voll played a supportive role, both accumulating runs with ease to secure the win with 10 balls remaining.
Mandhana's innings included 13 boundaries and three sixes, while Voll, who initially played cautiously, accelerated towards the end, hitting five fours and two sixes.
Mandhana fell just four runs short of a century, caught brilliantly by debutant Lucy Hamilton off Nandani Sharma, but by that time, RCB was well on their way to victory.
Earlier, DC's innings got off to a disastrous start, losing Lizelle Lee and Laura Wolvaardt in the first over.
Skipper Jemimah Rodrigues, Marizanne Kapp, Niki Prasad, and Minnu Mani also failed to contribute significantly, leaving DC struggling at 74 for 6 in just over eight overs.
Shafali, however, displayed her attacking prowess, forming a partnership of 59 runs with Prasad (12) to stabilize the innings.
She reached her fifty with a single off left-arm spinner Radha Yadav, showcasing her ability to counter-attack effectively.
Shafali later added 34 runs with Sneh Rana, who scored a run-a-ball 22, before being dismissed by spinner Prerna Rawat.
Shafali received a lifeline when she was dropped by Gautami Naik in the 16th over, but eventually fell to Lauren Bell (3/26).
In the closing stages, Hamilton (36 off 19) provided a late boost to DC's total.