WPL 2025: Smriti, Renuka take RCB to win over Delhi Capitals – Talking Points

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru registered a comfortable eight-wicket win over Delhi Capitals in a repeat of last season's final in the 2025 Women's Premier League at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara on Monday.

Skipper Smriti Mandhana scored 81 off just 47 deliveries as the defending champions chased down the target with 22 balls to spare in the second innings.

Earlier in the day, Royal Challengers bowled out the Capitals for 141 in 19.3 overs after asking them to bat first.

Here are the talking points from the match:

Century opening stand

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru opening combination of Smriti Mandhana and Danielle Wyatt-Hodge, after failing to click in their campaign opener, went all guns blazing against the Delhi Capitals.

The duo added 107 runs for the opening wicket in under 11 overs before Wyatt-Hodge was prized out by Arundhati Reddy for a well made 42 off 33 deliveries.

It was a near-perfect partnership, offering no chances to the Delhi Capitals. The only real chance they had was when Wyatt-Hodge drilled a ball to Jemimah Rodrigues towards the long-on region, but the Indian could not hang on in the ninth over.

RCB had already raced to 87/0 by this time with Wyatt-Hodge batting on 34.

Wyatt-Hodge's wicket did not deter Mandhana, who had brought up her half-century in the ninth over of the chase off just 27 deliveries.

The southpaw continued her merry ways, hitting bowlers all around the ground in an innings laced with ten boundaries and three sixes.

By the time Mandhana fell prey to Shikha Pandey in the 16th over, RCB needed only nine more runs to win.

Richa Ghosh joined the hands with Ellyse Perry and the former for the second time in as many matches finished the match with a six.

Renuka - wicket taker for all stages

Earlier in the day, Renuka Singh Thakur caused troubles for the Delhi Capitals batters with the ball in hand.

She struck gold in the very first over, scalping Shafali Verma for a golden duck with just the second ball of the match.

Thakur then returned in the middle over phase to send Annabel Sutherland (19) packing in the 11th over. She also got the wicket of Shikha Pandey at the death to finish with figures of 3-23 in her four overs.

Thakur was ably supported by Georgia Wareham, who finished with figures of 3-25, which included the wicket of top-score Rodrigues (34) to break a 59-run second wicket stand with Meg Lanning (17).

Kim Garth also picked up two crucial wickets to ensure that the Capitals' batting order never got going after Rodrigues was prized out.

RCB move to top of table

The win with more than three overs to spare not only boosted RCB's NRR but also consolidated their position at the top of the 2025 WPL points table.

With two wins in as many matches, the Mandhana-led side are the only unbeaten side in the competition so far.

Thakur also staked her claim for the purple cap. She now have five wickets in two matches, the highest until now.

'RCB were too good'

There are not many days when a side led by Lanning gets completely outplayed. The Delhi Capitals haven't experienced something like this either over the last two seasons.

But, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru were class apart on Monday. Lanning accepted that.

"It was not our best night," Lanning told the broadcasters. "We started reasonably well before RCB bowled well in the middle overs to peg us back.

"RCB were just too good tonight," she summed up.