Vadodara, Jan 19 (IANS) A commanding maiden fifty in the WPL from Gautami Naik (73) and Richa Ghosh's late burst of 27 helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) reach 178/6 in 20 overs against Gujarat Giants in Match 12 of the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026 at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara on Monday.

The RCB ended strong, scoring 17 runs in the final over and 40 runs in the last three overs. This turned a steady innings into a tough challenge for the Gujarat Giants. Earlier, the Giants had dominated the power play but lost their momentum.

RCB suffered an early blow when Renuka Singh Thakur took the wicket of Grace Harris (1) in the first over, and Kashvee Gautam removed Georgia Voll (1) in the following over. Smriti Mandhana and Naik continued to frustrate the Giants through the middle overs, stitching together a vital 60-run partnership that shifted the momentum.

Just as RCB looked set for a strong platform, Mandhana was trapped in front of the stumps for 26 in the 10th over. Naik, however, held firm at one end and grew in confidence, mixing placement with timely boundaries to keep the scoring rate healthy.

Naik was the heartbeat of RCB's recovery as she found a partner in Richa Ghosh. Naik reached her maiden WPL fifty from 42 balls, while Richa contributed 27 runs from 20 balls. Their partnership was broken in the last over of RCB's innings, as Sophie Devine trapped Richa out at long-off.

Naik’s impressive innings of 73 off 55 balls ended in the 18th over when she was bowled out by Gardner. By then, RCB were well positioned for a final push. Radha Yadav (17) and Shreyanka Patil (8*) made important contributions, taking advantage of the solid foundation set earlier. Their performances helped secure a strong finish, with RCB scoring 17 runs in the last over to finish at 178/6.

The Gujarat Giants' wickets were taken by Kashvee (2/38) and captain Ashleigh Gardner (2/43), as well as Renuka Singh Thakur and Sophie Devine, who each took one wicket.

Brief scores:

Riyal Challengers Women 178/6 in 20 overs (Gautami Naik 73, Richa Ghosh 27; Ashleigh Gardner 2-43, Kashvee Gautam 2-38) against Gujarat Giants Women

--IANS

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