Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) dominated the Gujarat Giants (GG) in every department on Tuesday, securing a convincing 8-wicket win at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. It was a dominant display that gave them their second straight victory. RCB made light work of the 108-run target, led by captain Smriti Mandhana's explosive 43 from 27 deliveries, with Sabbhineni Meghana and Ellyse Perry finishing the game unbeaten on 36 and 23. The victory was set up by a strong bowling effort, where Sophie Molineux claimed three wickets and Renuka Singh shifted the momentum with a lethal early spell.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) produced a brilliant all-round performance to thrash Gujarat Giants (GG) by 8 wickets at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium on Tuesday. RCB registered their second win on the trot in a dominating fashion. Chasing 108 runs, RCB captain Smriti Mandhana hammered a superb 27-ball 43 while Sabbhineni Meghana and Ellyse Perry remained unbeaten on 36 and 23 respectively. Earlier, Sophie Molineux starred for RCB with a three-wicket haul, but it was Renuka Singh, who turned the match in Bangalore’s favor with her early burst of two wickets.
Choosing to bowl first proved to be the right call for Mandhana, as Renuka Singh provided a dream start. The right-arm pacer shocked the Giants by cleaning up Beth Mooney for just 8 runs and then trapped Phoebe Litchfield (5) with help from Richa Ghosh's agility behind the stumps. The momentum stayed with RCB as Molineux further dismantled the batting lineup by taking the wicket of Veda Krishnamurthy for 9.
Showing great awareness in the field, Molineux also managed a run-out of Harleen Deol, who had played a decent knock of 22. The Giants were in deep trouble at 70/5 after Georgia Wareham cheaply dismissed the seasoned Ashleigh Gardner. A small contribution of 12 from Sneh Rana and a spirited 31* from Dayalan Hemalatha off 25 balls eventually pushed the Giants to a final score of 107/7.
When it was RCB's turn to bat, Mandhana was in sublime form, hitting the ball all over the ground and giving the crowd a real spectacle. Although Sophie Devine fell early and Tanuja Kanwar managed to break the momentum with a brilliant caught-and-bowled to dismiss Mandhana, the game remained under control. A solid 38-run stand between Meghana and Perry comfortably guided RCB to victory.
The excitement of the Women’s T20 League continues today, February 28, as the Mumbai Indians face off against the UP Warriorz.