Navi Mumbai, Jan 17 (.) Royal Challengers Bengaluru continued their flawless run in the Women’s Premier League 2026 with a commanding eight-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals, sweeping the Navi Mumbai leg with four wins from four matches.
Chasing 166, RCB were driven by a masterclass from skipper Smriti Mandhana, whose 61-ball 96 set up the chase in emphatic fashion. The only blemish on an otherwise dominant evening came when Mandhana was denied what would have been the first century in WPL history, falling to a sensational piece of fielding by Lucy Hamilton near the boundary. By then, however, the result was all but sealed, as RCB coasted home with 10 balls to spare.
Mandhana’s innings was a study in timing and composure. After the early dismissal of Grace Harris and with Georgia Voll initially struggling for fluency, the RCB captain ensured there was no pressure on the chase. Delhi missed a crucial opportunity in the second over when they chose not to review an appeal against Mandhana, and she made them pay, threading boundaries with effortless precision.
Despite a modest PowerPlay of 37, Mandhana accelerated seamlessly after the fielding restrictions, striking boundaries off Sree Charani and Sneh Rana to bring up a half-century off just 31 balls. Voll eventually found her rhythm, and the pair stitched together a decisive 142-run partnership that turned the chase into a formality.
Earlier, RCB’s bowlers had laid the foundation with a ruthless display after opting to field. Lauren Bell once again proved her value, striking early to remove Lizelle Lee and Laura Wolvaardt in quick succession.
Delhi collapsed to 10 for 4, the lowest score at the fall of the fourth wicket in WPL history, as Sayali Satghare and Prema Rawat joined the destruction.
Shafali Verma provided the lone resistance for Delhi with a blazing counterattack. She smashed 42 of the 60 runs scored in the PowerPlay, becoming the first player in WPL history to hit 50 sixes. Verma reached her half-century off 27 balls, but wickets continued to tumble at the other end, leaving Delhi struggling to build momentum.
A late cameo from debutant Lucy Hamilton, who struck 36 and took 17 runs off a Shreyanka Patil over, helped Delhi push past 160. Bell returned to end Verma’s innings on 62, ensuring the Capitals could not fully recover from their disastrous start.
In the end, RCB’s dominance with both ball and bat underlined their status as one of the tournament’s most formidable sides, with Mandhana’s near-century standing out as the highlight of a near-perfect performance.
Brief scores: Delhi Capitals 166 in 20 overs (Shafali Verma 62, Lucy Hamilton 36; Lauren Bell 3-26, Prema Rawat 2-16) lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru 169/2 in 18.2 overs (Smriti Mandhana 96, Georgia Voll 54*; Marizanne Kapp 1-21) by 8 wickets.
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