Royal Challengers Bengaluru continued their dream run in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026, becoming the first team to qualify for the playoffs after a commanding 61-run victory over Gujarat Giants at the BCA Stadium, Vadodara, on January 19.
The emphatic win marked RCB’s fifth consecutive victory, keeping them unbeaten and firmly placed at the top of the points table.
Asked to bat first, the defending champions recovered from a shaky start thanks to a composed knock from Gautami Naik, who anchored the innings with a brilliant 73 off 55 balls, laced with seven fours and a six.
RCB were reduced to 9 for 2 early after losing Grace Harris and Georgia Voll cheaply, but Naik steadied the innings alongside captain Smriti Mandhana, with the pair adding a crucial 60-run partnership. Mandhana chipped in with a fluent 26 before falling in the middle overs.
Lower down the order, Richa Ghosh’s quick 27 off 20, along with late cameos from Radha Yadav (17 off 8) and *Shreyanka Patil (8 off 2)*, helped RCB post a competitive 178 for 6.
For Gujarat Giants, Kashvee Gautam and skipper Ashleigh Gardner claimed two wickets each but failed to contain the scoring in the final overs.
In response, Gujarat Giants never found momentum in their chase. Early wickets left them struggling at 34 for 4 inside seven overs, putting the game firmly in RCB’s control.
While several big names, including Beth Mooney and Sophie Devine, departed cheaply, captain Ashleigh Gardner stood tall with a fighting 54 off 43 balls, hitting five boundaries and a six. However, she found little support from the other end as wickets continued to tumble.
RCB’s bowling attack delivered another disciplined performance, led by Sayali Satghare, who continued her impressive form with figures of 3 for 21.
She was well supported by Nadine de Klerk (2/17), Lauren Bell (1/23), Shreyanka Patil (1/19), and Radha Yadav (1/34) as Gujarat Giants were restricted to 117 for 8.
With this victory, RCB not only secured a playoff berth with 10 points from five matches but also created history by becoming the first team to win six consecutive matches in WPL history, surpassing the Mumbai Indians’ previous best of five wins.
Boasting a healthy net run rate of +1.882, RCB have emerged as the team to beat as the race for the remaining playoff spots heats up.
