WPL 2025: Gardner's Stellar Performance Propels Gujarat Giants Past RCB

Bengaluru, Feb 27 (NationPress) Captain Ashleigh Gardner showcased her talent with a remarkable 31-ball 58 as the Gujarat Giants triumphed over Royal Challengers Bengaluru by six wickets, finishing the match with 21 balls remaining in Match 12 of the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2025 at the M. Chinnasway stadium here on Thursday.

In pursuit of a modest target of 126 runs, the Gujarat Giants benefited from Gardner's outstanding half-century and an unbeaten 30 from Phoebe Litchfield, successfully reaching 126/4 in just 16.3 overs. This victory marked their second win of the season as they aimed to climb up the standings after a challenging start. The defending champions, RCB, struggled in the power-play, pursuing quick runs while also being careless in the field, resulting in dropped catches that contributed to their third consecutive loss.

As they chased 126, the Gujarat Giants, seeking redemption after previous defeats, had a positive start with Beth Mooney (17) and Dayalan Hemalatha (11) contributing 25 runs for the opening wicket. However, they lost both openers within eight balls during the power-play, with Renuka Singh first inducing an edge from Hemalatha and then dismissing Mooney, who was caught by Georgia Wareham.

With Gujarat Giants at 32/2 in the seventh over, the stadium filled with 28,000 enthusiastic RCB supporters buzzed with anticipation for a possible comeback.

Nevertheless, Gardner quieted the crowd with an impressive batting performance, marking her third half-century of WPL 2025 in just 28 balls. She formed a crucial 34-run partnership for the third wicket with Harleen Deol (5) and then added 45 runs with Litchfield for the fourth wicket, steering the Gujarat Giants toward victory.

Gardner opened her innings with a cover-driven four and then took charge of the game by hammering Prema Rawat for a trio of fours—two on the leg side and one over cover—followed by a magnificent backfoot heave over deep square leg for a six, yielding 19 runs in the ninth over.

She reached her fifty with consecutive sixes off Wareham, although Gardner soon fell to an easy return catch. Litchfield, however, remained steady, not out at 30 (21b, 3x4, 1x6), guiding the team to victory.

Earlier, Deandra Dottin took 2-31, while Tanuja Kanwar delivered outstanding figures of 2-16 in her four overs, restricting RCB to 125/7 after opting to bowl first. RCB, eager to break their losing streak, began poorly, collapsing to 26/3 in the power-play.

Danni Wyatt-Hodge was the initial casualty, trapped LBW by Dottin after scoring a four in her opening shot. She attempted to overturn the decision using DRS but was unsuccessful.

Ellyse Perry was dismissed for a duck in WPL for the first time, mistiming a pull shot from an Ash Gardner delivery, caught by Tanuja Kanwar. Skipper Smriti Mandhana fell to Kanwar, caught at deep mid-wicket after hitting a four in her 20-ball 10.

RCB’s innings, struggling at 25/3, saw a brief revival from Kanika Ahuja and Raghvi Bist, who added 48 runs for the fourth wicket. A clever piece of fielding by Fulmani after Gardner dropped a simple catch ended the partnership, with Raghvi (22) caught short attempting a run. Kanika hit two big sixes, scoring 33 off 28 deliveries, including a four and the first six of the match off consecutive balls in an 18-run eighth over.

Richa Ghosh (9) and Kim Garth (14) fell cheaply, but Georgia Wareham contributed an unbeaten 20, leading RCB to a modest total that proved insufficient against Gardner's commanding performance.

Brief scores:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru 125/7 in 20 overs (Kanika Ahuja 33, Raghvi Bist 22; Deandra Dottin 2-31, Tanuja Kanwar 2-16, Kashvee Gautam 1-17) lost to Gujarat Giants 126/4 in 16.3 overs (Ashleigh Gardner 58, Phoebe Litchfield 30 not out; Renuka Singh 2-24) by six wickets.