Vadodara, Jan 19 (NationPress) Sayali Satghare delivered an outstanding performance with a three-wicket haul, complemented by a robust batting display led by Gautami Naik, which propelled the Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women (RCB-W) to their sixth consecutive victory in the Women’s Premier League (WPL). They triumphed over the Gujarat Giants by 61 runs in the 12th match held at Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara on Monday.

This emphatic win not only marked RCB's fifth victory out of five matches this season, thereby securing their position in the playoffs, but it also established a new record for the most consecutive wins in WPL history at six. This record surpasses the previous streaks of five by the Mumbai Indians in both 2023 and 2023-24, as well as RCB's own streak in 2024-25.

RCB was invited to bat first by Gujarat Giants captain Ashleigh Gardner, and similar to their previous encounter, their innings began on a shaky note.

In the opening over, Grace Harris fell to Renuka Singh Thakur after scoring a solitary run, and soon after, Georgia Voll was dismissed by Kashvee Gautam, leaving RCB reeling early on.

Captain Smriti Mandhana joined forces with Gautami Naik, working diligently to stabilize the innings until the end of the powerplay.

After two early wickets for just nine runs, RCB managed to post 39 runs in the first six overs. The partnership of Mandhana and Naik was pivotal, producing a vital 60-run stand off 45 balls, which was eventually broken at 10 runs when Gardner induced an LBW dismissal of Mandhana, who scored 26 runs off 23 balls.

Naik remained resilient and continued to anchor RCB's innings, forming a magnificent 69-run partnership with Richa Ghosh for the fourth wicket. Naik notched her first WPL half-century off 42 balls but eventually fell for a commendable 73 from 55 balls. Richa also contributed significantly with 27 runs off 20 balls, along with quick runs from Radha Yadav and Shreyanka Patil, leading RCB to a total of 178 runs in 20 overs.

RCB's bowling attack was equally aggressive from the outset. Sayali Satghare capitalized on this intensity with a remarkable two-wicket over in the second over. Satghare's extraordinary feat included the dismissals of Beth Mooney (3 runs) and Sophie Devine (0 runs). In the subsequent over, Lauren Bell joined the fray, claiming the wicket of Kanika Ahuja on her third ball, leaving Gujarat in dire straits at 5 for 3 after three overs.

Despite efforts from Anushka Sharma and Gardner to revive the innings with a 29-run partnership off 25 balls for the fourth wicket, they could not sustain it, as Nadine de Klerk's excellent bowling saw Anushka dismissed after scoring 18 runs off 20 balls. As RCB continued to apply immense pressure with their bowling and fielding, wickets fell consistently for Gujarat.

Gardner managed to score a half-century from 39 balls, finishing with 54 runs off 43 balls, but the lack of support from her teammates proved detrimental.

Ultimately, the Gujarat Giants could only muster 117 runs for 8 wickets in their 20 overs. Satghare's exceptional bowling figures of 3 for 21 highlighted a strong team effort, while de Klerk chipped in with 2 for 21.

Brief scores:

Royal Challengers Women: 178/6 in 20 overs (Gautami Naik 73, Richa Ghosh 27; Ashleigh Gardner 2-43, Kashvee Gautam 2-38) defeated Gujarat Giants Women: 117/8 in 20 overs (Ashleigh Gardner 54, Anushka Sharma 18; Sayali Satghare 3-21, Nadine de Klerk 2-21) by 61 runs.