The Royal Challengers Bengaluru suffered their fourth back-to-back defeat at home as the Delhi Capitals dismantled them by 9 wickets in match 14 of the Women's Premier League 2025 on March 1, Saturday at the M Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium in Bengaluru, securing a berth in the playoffs. (Match Highlights | Full Coverage)
The two-time runners-up followed a winning fashion right from the toss, opting to bowl first. Shikha Pandey once 🐬again proved to be Smriti Mandhana’s nemesis, dismissing her for just 8.
Orange Cap holder Ellyse Perry played some smart cricket alongside Danielle Wyatt-Hodge, guiding RCB to 53ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ/1 in seven overs. However, Marizanne Kapp broke the stand, removing Hodge for 21 off 18 balls,♏ which included two fours and a six.
The Australian all-rounder continued her fine form with a well-crafted half-century off 38 balls, marking her fourth fifty of the season. However, wickets kept tumbling at the othe꧃r end. Raghvi Bist provided crucial support with a gutsy 33 oﷺff 32 balls before Nallapureddy Charani dismissed her.
Richa Ghosh fell cheaply for just 5 after striking a crisp boundary🌌, miscuing one straight to Lanning at cover.
The defending champions struggled to accelerate in the final overs, with 🔴Perry anchoring the innings at 60 off 47 balls, while Georgia Wareham chipped in with 12 off 10. At the endꦑ of 20 overs, RCB could only manage a modest total of 147/5.
When it came to chasing the not-so-chalꦆlenging target, Delhi Capitals, known for their powerplay dominance, stuck to their 🅰tradition.
The WPL's most successful opening duo, Meg Lanning and Shafali Verma, couldn’t last long together as the skipper mistimed a lofted shot, finding Ellyse Perry at mid-on. Her scratchy 2 off 12 balls came to an end off Renuka Singh’s delivery. But that was the only hiccup🌜 in an otherwise flawless chase.
The 21-year-old Shafali Verma shifted gears swiftly, ensuring Delhi Capitals stayed well on track. Partnering with Jess Jonassen at the other end, the duo kept the scoreboard ticking, rotating the strike effortlessly--and when singles weren’t an optioꦫn, they simply found the boundary.
The unbeaten duo of Shafali Verma and Jess Jonassen stamped their authority on the chase, bot♓h smashing half-centuries to take complete control of the game. Shafali’s 💫explosive 80 off 43 balls and Jonassen’s steady 61 off 38 guided Delhi Capitals to a dominant nine-wicket victory posting 151/1 in just 15.3 overs.
This marks DC’s third consecutive win, securing their place 𒈔in the WPL 2025 playoffs as they remain on top with 10 points from seven matches. Meanwhile, RCB’s struggles continue, 🐓as they slump to their fourth straight loss, staying at fourth with just four points from six games.
Earlier in the season, Mandhana🐻-led side lost to Mumbai Indians by 4 wickets, fell to UP Warriorz by 4 runs in a Super Over, and suffered defeat to Gujarat Giants by 6 wickets in the reverse fixture.
Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals had sealed two convincing victories over Gujarat Giants by 6 wickets and Mumbai Indians by 9 wickets.
Delhi Capitals will now face Gujarat Giants on March🧜 7, meaඣnwhile RCB will try to bounce back on March 9 against UP Warriorz.
