Navi Mumbai, Jan 17 (NationPress) Smriti Mandhana narrowly missed out on achieving her first century in the Women's Premier League (WPL), scoring an impressive 96 that led the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to a resounding eight-wicket triumph over the Delhi Capitals. This victory marks RCB's fourth consecutive win, keeping them unbeaten at the top of the WPL 2026 points table at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy.

RCB successfully chased a target of 167, securing their final match in the Navi Mumbai leg with ten balls to spare. Despite Mandhana's near-century, her 96 runs off 61 balls prevented the league from witnessing its first hundred.

Mandhana opted to bowl first after winning the toss, and this proved advantageous for RCB. Lauren Bell made an impact right away, claiming two early wickets in her first over, dismissing Lizee Lee (4) and Laura Wolvaardt (0). The situation worsened for DC when Sayali Satghare, replacing Ellyse Perry, took two wickets in her next over, eliminating Jemimah Rodrigues and Marizanne Kapp back-to-back, leaving DC in disarray at 10/4 within just two overs.

Despite the early setbacks, Shafali Verma fought back, scoring 62 runs off 41 balls, including five fours and four sixes. She formed a vital 59-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Niki Prasad, who struggled to score only 12 runs after being dropped by Gautami Naik in the final over of the powerplay. Verma maintained her aggressive approach in the middle overs with support from Sneh Rana, who scored 22 runs off 22 balls.

Once Bell dismissed Verma in the 17th over, debutant Lucy Hamilton provided a late surge with a brisk 36 off 19 balls, while N Sree Charani added 11 runs. DC was bowled out for 166 on the last ball. RCB's bowlers shared the spoils, with Bell taking 3/26 and Satghare 3/27, while Prema Rawat and Nadine de Klerk contributed with 2/16 and 1/31 respectively, as Nandani Sharma was run out on the final delivery.

The RCB chase began with a minor hiccup as Marizanne Kapp claimed Grace Harris's wicket in the first over, but that was the high point for DC as Mandhana, alongside Georgia Voll, established a record partnership of 142 runs for the second wicket. Mandhana displayed excellent form, while Voll, after a slow start, finished with an unbeaten 54 runs off 42 balls. Richa Ghosh added 7 runs off 4 balls, leading RCB to a commanding victory. With four wins from four matches, RCB remains dominant in the tournament, while the Delhi Capitals are left with little to celebrate following a disappointing start.

Brief scores: Delhi Capitals 166/10 in 20 overs (Shafali Verma 62, Lucy Hamilton 36; Lauren Bell 3-26, Sayali Satghare 3-27) lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru 169/2 in 18.2 overs (Smriti Mandhana 96, Georgia Voll 54 not out; Marizanne Kapp 1-21, Nandini Sharma 1-34) by eight wickets.