Navi Mumbai, Jan 16 (IANS) Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) maintained their perfect start to 2026 Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026 with a 32-run victory over Gujarat Giants and moved to the top of the points table after a standout maiden five-wicket haul from off-spin bowling all-rounder Shreyanka Patil in Match 9 at the Dr. DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Friday.

RCB had recovered from a shaky start after losing four wickets in the Power-play, with Radha Yadav emerging as the unlikely saviour by hitting 66 off 42 balls -- her maiden WPL fifty and adding 105 runs for the fifth wicket with Richa Ghosh, who hit 44 off 28 deliveries, while Nadine de Klerk’s late cameo of 26 lifted the total to 182/7.

In reply, Gujarat Giants raced to 32 in three overs, but lost five wickets in the next eight overs. Despite Bharti Fulmali and Kashvee Gautam threatening to complete the chase with big hits, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) closed out a comfortable win as GG were bowled out for 150 in 18.5 overs, with Shreyanka taking 5-23 and Lauren Bell picking 3-29.

Beth Mooney gave GG a brisk start by flicking Lauren for four, and was followed by a slash one off Linsey Smith through square leg while Sophie Devine heaved her over mid-wicket. Beth cut loose against Lauren in the third over - lofting and pulling for two fours, while lofting over mid-off for six.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) struck back in the fourth over when Arundhati Reddy removed Sophie Devine for eight by holding a sharp return catch off her own bowling. In the next over, Shreyanka delivered a key breakthrough by trapping Beth lbw for 27 after a successful review.

GG’s slide continued when Ashleigh Gardner edged a cut behind to Richa Ghosh off Lauren, while Kanika Ahuja was trapped lbw by Shreyanka for 16 on review, and Georgia Wareham attempted to heave a short delivery off Nadine de Klerk, but miscued it and Radha Yadav sprinted across from deep mid-wicket to complete a sharp catch.

Bharti offered some resistance by cutting Nadine through backward point for four, before edging a low full toss past Richa for another boundary, and then launched a towering six over long-off. She was reprieved on 12 when Smriti Mandhana dropped her catch at mid-off.

Bharti punished RCB for that dropped chance by walloping Linsey for two monstrous sixes and keeping GG’s hopes alive by cutting Nadine past point for four and lofting a slower ball over cover for six. But RCB continued to chip away as Kashvee, after surviving a dropped chance at long-off, holed out to long-on off a slower ball from Shreyanka.

Though Tanuja Kanwer hit a four and six off Shreyanka and Lauren, Bharti mistimed a pull off the latter, and long-on ran in to take a diving catch. A ball later, Lauren had her third wicket when debutante Shivani Singh holed out to long-on. Tanuja hit two boundaries off Arundhati, but holed out to cover off Shreyanka, who completed her five-for with Renuka Singh Thakur holing out to mid-off, and completed a phenomenal win for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

Brief scores:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru 182/7 in 20 overs (Radha Yadav 66, Richa Ghosh 44; Sophie Devine 3-31, Kashvee Gautam 2-42) beat Gujarat Giants (Bharti Fulmali 39, Beth Mooney 27; Lauren Bell 3-29, Shreyanka Patil 3-21) by 32 runs

--IANS

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