Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) succumbed to its third consecutive home defeat in Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025, going down to Gujarat Giants (GG) by six wickets at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Thursday.
GG skipper Ashleigh Gardner led by example with a 31-ball 58. She was caught and bowled by compatriot Georgia Wareham but the job had been done by then.
Defending a below-par 126, Smriti Mandhana decided to bowl out Renuka Singh within the first seven years. The pacer removed openers Dayalan Hemalatha (11 off 15 balls) and Beth Mooney (17 off 20 balls), before Wareham picked up her first wicket by sending Harleen Deol back for five.
HIGHLIGHTS: RCB VS GG AS IT HAPPENED
But Gardner and Phoebe Litchfield (30 not out off 21 balls) added 51 runs for the fourth wicket and ensured the Giants’ chase did not veer off its course. While the pair stuck to running between the wickets for the most part, Gardner punished young leg-spinner Prema Rawat for 18 runs in the ninth over.
Being inserted in by GG, RCB could post only 26 runs in the PowerPlay — the lowest by a team this season.
Danni Wyatt-Hodge (4 off 4 balls) was sent back in the first over by Deandra Dottin while Ellyse Perry registered her first duck in the WPL and was dismissed by Gardner.
Kanika Ahuja played a crucial innings with the bat
| Photo Credit:
 K BHAGYA PRAKASH / THE HINDU
Kanika Ahuja played a crucial innings with the bat
| Photo Credit:
 K BHAGYA PRAKASH / THE HINDU
Smriti (10 off 20 balls) struggled to accelerate, especially during Kashvee Gautam’s spell. The young pacer bowled 10 dot balls to the southpaw before the batter holed out to Harleen at deep mid-wicket off Tanuja Kanwer (2/16).
Though its favourite returned to the hut, the near 24,000-strong Chinnaswamy crowd found new stars to cheer on in Raghvi Bist and Kanika Ahuja.
Raghvi (22 off 19 balls) and Kanika (33 off 28 balls) added 48 runs for the fourth wicket. Richa Ghosh (9 off 10 balls) had no answer to Kashvee’s yorker in the 16th over.
Australian duo Kim Garth and Wareham stood for a 23-run rearguard defiance but RCB’s 125 was always going to be tough to defend.
