Gujarat Giants vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru Highlights, WPL 2025: Richa stars as RCB beats GG by six wickets

Gujarat Giants vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru Highlights, WPL 2025: Richa stars as RCB beats GG by six wickets

And Richa Ghosh finished with a style! She hits a six to end a memorable chase for the defending champion! RCB beats GG by six wickets!

Priya Mishra with the ball. Richa smashes another FOUR as RCB inches to a historic victory. And another FOUR for the India international as Richa Ghosh notches up her half-century. She ends this over with another SIX! Only seven more runs needed!

Dottin with the ball and she bowls a wide. Another FOUR! Richa hits it hard and past Gardner, who fails to stop the fast-travelling ball. Another FOUR! Dottin bowls it full and Kanika bat gets the toe edge to help it past a diving Mooney! Kanika lofts it over the short fine leg fielder for another FOUR!

Gardner with her third over but Richa welcomes the opposition skipper with a FOUR towards the covers. After a wide, Richa hits Gardner for a massive SIX down long on! Deftly played towards third man for a FOUR! Extremely effective batting from the big-hitter. ANOTHER MISFIELDING! This is backed by another deft touch by Richa for yet another FOUR!

Sayali bowling out. First ball, and Kanika hits it over the covers for a FOUR! OH MY GOD! An overthrow from Wolvaardt sees the ball race past Mooney and towards the ropes of another FOUR. Smart shot from Kanika to play it fine for another FOUR! Big over for RCB in terms of handling the required run rate.

Tanuja back for her third over. Richa hits it down the ground for a SIX! Is this the beginning of a blitzkrieg from her? Asking rate has now crossed 13 runs an over.

Sayali, conceding almost 12 runs an over, is back. Richa pushes the full toss for a single. Perry looks to find the boundary once again but this time, she holes out to Laura Wolvaardt over at cow corner. Huge scalp for the Giants.

Ellyse Perry 57 (34) c Wolvaardt b Sayali

Kanika Ahuja the new batter at the crease.

Richa Ghosh is the newest batter at the crease, and RCB would hope and pray that the wicketkeeper-batter stays till the end of the innings. Priya Mishra with her second over. Just as we said that, Richa went for that big shot and it seemed the fielder would take the catch. However, Simran Shaikh drops it at the boundary. A frustrated Priya shown on camera. Perry continues to find the boundary as she plays it across for another FOUR!

Dottin back for her second over. Perry lofts it straight down the ground but Harleen Deol does well to save a couple of runs. Dottin bowls a full toss and Perry punishes it! The Australian brings up her fifty and also reviews it for a no ball! And Perry’s decision comes right! A free hit for her. Perry swings big but Dottin gets a dot ball. A single for Perry. OUT! A slower ball and Raghvi’s underconfident shot makes her hole out to Sayali.

Raghvi Bist 25 (27) c Sayali b Dottin

Gardner back. Can she give her side a breakthrough? Raghvi slogs it towards cow corner but doesn’t get the height and distance on it. Just the one run off it. Great shot from Perry as she guides it between two fielders towards backward point.

Tanuja Kanwer brought back for her second over. A slow ball, too much time for a certain Perry to smash it through the covers for a FOUR! Simran Shaikh with a misfield which allows the batters to steal a two. Perry’s second boundary of the over as she hits it between fielders toward deep extra cover for another FOUR!

DROPPED! Perry once again dropped, this time by Harleeon Deol. Sayali with her second over. Stumping opportunity missed! Perry comes out of her crease but the wide ball even misses Mooney’s gloves as it races down for a FOUR. What a howler! Two fielders down at the cow corner forget to communicate and the ball races to the boundary between them for a FOUR!

Priya Mishra brought in. Great over from the leggie as she concedes just four runs off the over.

Sayali Satghare, the newest bowler to be brought on. WHAT A HOWLER! Beth Mooney fluffs her catch as she fails to collect the ball and stump Raghvi out! The Indian batter was not seeing her partner, who had already travelled halfway down the pitch. But Mooney fails to make the most of the opportunity. And Perry goes down the ground, over long off for a SIX! Great running to take a quick single as Perry keeps the strike.

Kashvee back for her second spell. Greate flick off Raghvi’s bat to find the boundary for a FOUR towards the cow corner. The Uttarakhand batter elegantly pushes the ball towards point, in between fielders, for another FOUR. Three dots to end the over.

Another new bowler at the crease. India international Tanuja Kanwer brought into the attack. Perry dropped! The Australian hits it hard back at Tanuja but the left-arm spinner fails to get a hold on the ball. Perry showing her experience as she finds the gap and sends the ball to the boundary for a FOUR over at deep backward square leg.

Deandra Dottin with her first over. A wide from Dottin after conceding a single and a dot ball. Another FOUR! Raghvi tries to flick but the ball races to the boundary off her pads. Another FOUR! RCB will take what they can get right now. Raghvi was looking to pull a shorter one but an edge helps it run towards third man.

Skipper Ashleigh Gardner brings herself into the attack. Great first ball to Smriti, as the India batter plays it safe. AND OUT! Smriti tries to flick it but misses it as Gardner’s ball hits her pads. Umpire says out, Smriti takes a review.

Useless review from the RCB skipper as she has to walk back.

Smriti Mandhana 9 (7) lbw Ashleigh Gardner

Ellyse Perry the newest batter at the crease and is caught off the guard with a ball that stayed low. She is off the mark with a single. OUT! Gardner clean bowls Wyatt-Hodge!

Danni Wyatt-Hodge 4 (4) b Gardner

Smriti Mandhana and Danni Wyatt-Hodge at the crease, Kashvee Gautam with the ball. First ball and the RCB skipper coolly smashes it for a FOUR towards square! She backs it with a delectable cut for another FOUR! A dot ball by the GG debutant, and another one to back it up with by the pacer. A single to give Wyatt-Hodge the strike. And the English batter hits her first ball through the off-side with a FOUR!

Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana is present at the Kotambi Stadium and entertaining the spectators with his singing and overall performance! The second innings on the other end!

Kim Garth with the last over. Dot ball to begin. Another dot to follow. Just a single to follow as Harleen comes on strike. Another ball on the off side but this time its a wide.

A review changes the decision, and that’s another dot ball.

However, Harleen smashes it for a FOUR! And another FOUR as Wyatt-Hodge fails to keep it out. Massive total of 201 posted by the Gujarat Giants!

Wareham with her third over and Simran Shaikh scores her first FOUR! Thick outside edge as the ball runs away between two fielders. And the Indian backs it up with a SIX over the covers! OUT! Simran tries to hit it square but misses as the straighter ball finds the stumps.

Simran Shaikh 11 (5) c Georgia Wareham

Harleen Deol comes into the crease. And she is bowled a wide. And Wareham backs it up with another wide delivery. ANOTHER SIX! Gardner is just destroying the RCB bowlers as she hits her eighth maximum! She takes a single to retain strike for the last over.

Joshitha VJ bowling out and the GG skipper welcomes her final over with a SIX! After a futile review for a stumping, Gardner clears the boundary once again! One more SIX! AND ONE MORE SIX! What is this, Ashleigh Gardner!!!

DROPPED! Ellyse Perry fluffs her catch as Dottin tries to go big and doesn’t get the distance right! Next ball, Wareham saves a SIX with some athletic fielding! Renuka should have at least one more wicket by now! OUT! Renuka picks her second as Dottin goes big towards the leg side but Danni Wyatt-Hodge takes the catch and sends the Windies player back to the dugout!

Dottin 25 (13) c Danni Wyatt-Hodge b Renuka Singh

Simran Shaikh the newest batter at the crease.

Joshitha is brought back. Smriti has a word with her. And whatever advice the skipper gave doesn’t seem to work as Gardner hits another FOUR! Dottin is not holding back! A straight ball pitched up and the West Indies batter smashes it down the ground! A swashbuckling half-century for Gardner, striking at 200!

Wareham is called back into the attack. Dottin comes on strike and slaps it towards deep extra cover for a FOUR! Gardner joins in with a FOUR smacked through point. And another FOUR! It takes a slight touch off the bat and goes fine.

Prema continues and gets Gardner’s leading edge in the first ball. Short for the fielder down at mid off. Gardner smacks Prema for a massive SIX! The skipper hits it over and beyond long off! And another SIX! Playing with the spin once again, she clears the ropes over at deep mid-wicket. And ANOTHER SIX! Crazy hitting from Gardner as Prema concedes another maximum! The youngster’s face becomes small. A single to end the over.

Kim Garth comes back, replacing Kanika. Just a couple of singles. The scoring flow has been cut off after Prema removed Mooney in the last over. After bowling a bouncer to Dottin, Garth sends a slower ball to the Windies batter. But, mercilessly, the batter sends it over the covers for a FOUR! Another FOUR! Garth bowls into Dottin’s body but the batter makes space and plays it late to fine third man for another boundary.

Prema Rawat is brought in, replacing Wareham. First ball, and a single. After a dot, Mooney uses her feet to dance down the pitch and easily hits it over covers for a FOUR! HUGE WICKET! Mooney tries to hit it towards mid-wicket but Smriti is right there to take the catch!

Mooney 56 (42) c Smriti Mandhana b Prema Rawat

Deandra Dottin is the newest batter at the crease. Two singles to end this important over for RCB.

Kanika continues and she misfields on teh first ball to concede a single. Gardner, next ball, sends it towards deep square leg for another single. Great stop! Gardner sends it towards the covers as it beats the fielder inside the circle. However Wareham dives well to save two runs. The leggie’s throw gets the stumps, which prompts RCB to go for the review, but not out. Skipper Gardner goes big! First SIX of the WPL 2025. The batter comes down the pitch and hits it down the ground.

Georgia Wareham, the experienced leggie, comes into the bowling attack. A fielding mishap from Wyatt-Hodge allows the batters to take a two. Even one of the Gujarat batters slipped. GONE! Mooney tries to sweep and Wareham gets her lbw. The umpire shows out but the Gujarat opener straightaway goes upstairs.

Review successful as the ball gets some bat on the way. Mooney stays on at the crease. Smriti looks up to the skies after the decision was out.

Next ball, and a FOUR! Mooney plays it towards forward point as Kanika misfields to concede the boundary. Another FOUR! Mooney turns and hits it towards deep backward square leg. And another FOUR! She sweeps and sweeps well to near her half century! A single to follow as Beth Mooney brings up her half-century, her fourth in the WPL and second against RCB.

Kanika continues. Mooney goes for the reverse-sweep and connects well but only finds a fielder inside the circle. The batter then goes inside out and tries to find the boundary but Perry does well at deep extra cover to save a couple of runs. Just three runs off the over, economical bowling from the wicket-taker.

Joshitha continues. The youngster bowling wicket-to-wicket to the GG skipper as the batter takes a quick single to rotate the strike. FOUR! Mooney gives the young pacer a taste of the WPL as she pulls a shorter ball towards cow corner. A dot to finish the over.

Kanika Ahuja from the other end, replacing Renuka. First ball and Hemalatha gets a leading edge but the ball falls a bit far away from the off-spinner. WICKET! Hemalatha comes down the track but gets an outside edge. The ball falls in the safe hands of Prema Rawat over at point.

Hemalatha 4 (9) c Prema Rawat b Kanika Ahuja

Skipper Ashleigh Gardner comes in and off the mark with a single.

Youngster Joshitha VJ, coming off the triumph in the U-19 World Cup, with her first over. First ball to experienced Mooney and it swings into her as the batter flicks it for a single. Second ball, clocking at around 105 kph, stays a bit low as Hemalatha misses the delivery. The Indian batter comes down the track to go big but misses it once again. Hemalatha, next ball, sends it towards point for a single. Mooney too swings and misses off the youngster’s ball. A dot to end the over, just two off it. Excellent start for the youngster’s time in the WPL.

Renuka with her third over and she is smacked for another boundary by Mooney. FIRST WICKET OF THE WPL 2025! Renuka Singh cleans up Laura Wolvaardt with a delivery slightly coming into the right-handed batter.

Wolvaardt 6 (10) b Renuka Singh

Dayalan Hemalatha comes in and misses the ball on her first ball. It hits her body but perhaps the height is the point of contention. Last ball of the over and Dayalan goes straight down the ground but the ball goes high up. The ball is just away from Smriti as the batters take a couple of runs.

Garth continues. FOUR! Mooney makes space, uses her feet well, and hits it towards third man for another boundary! Garth bowls to Mooney’s body as the batter sends it to the leg side for a single. Better bowling from the pacer, not giving Mooney the space to hit it for a boundary. A single to end the over.

Renuka continues. Mooney steps out and tries to hit over extra cover but doesn’t time it well. Smriti Mandhana chases the ball down to limit the batters for a two. The next ball, Mooney hits it to point for a single. What was that from Renuka! Down the leg side for a wide as the batters take a quick single as well. Close! A slower one, clocking around 99kph, as Wolvaardt swings and misses. The ball could have clipped the leg stump there. Another wide ball from the India international. Too many extras for RCB’s liking. A single to end the over.

Kim Garth from the other end. First ball, and Mooney plays it towards cover for a quick single. A wide to follow. Another single to follow as the South African skipper plays it towards deep cover to change strike. Another lbw shout for RCB, as Garth seems to have trapped Mooney, but lukewarm support from the RCB players for the pacer. FOUR! Wolvaardt slashes it towards point for a boundary. A dot to end the over as Wolvaardt’s shot gets an edge and falls just short of Prema Rawat at point.

Players are on the field. Beth Mooney and Laura Wolvaardt will be opening the batting for the Gujarat Giants. Renuka Singh with the ball, bowling the first over of the 2025 WPL.

First ball, and Mooney tries to drive through the covers but decides to play it safe for a dot ball. But second ball, and the batter slashes it towards point for a FOUR! The delivery was too wide off the off stump. A dot to follow. The fourth ball sees Mooney play a similar slash but Danni Wyatt-Hodge dives well to stop the shot. Fifth ball, and huge shout from the RCB players for an lbw appeal, but review is not taken. A wide to follow. Last ball gets Wolvaardt’s pads and Richa Ghosh collects the ball.

A lot of new faces and debutants on both sides! We have the likes of uncapped crorepati Prema Rawat, U-19 World Cup winner Joshitha V J, and Raghvi Bisht having handed their debuts.

For GG, Priya Mishra, Kashvee Gautam, Sayali Satghare, Deandra Dottin, and Simran Shaikh will be making their first foray in the WPL.

“Nice feeling to be back, promises to be a great game. It’s going be a tough competition, which is exciting,” says Perry.

“Certainly fit for the game, I’ll not bowl for the first few games of the tournament,” Perry adds.

Smriti Mandhana (c), Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Ellyse Perry, Raghvi Bist, Richa Ghosh (wk), Kanika Ahuja, Georgia Wareham, Kim Garth, Prema Rawat, Joshitha V J, Renuka Singh

Laura Wolvaardt, Beth Mooney (wk), Dayalan Hemalatha, Ashleigh Gardner (c), Deandra Dottin, Harleen Deol, Simran Shaikh, Tanuja Kanwer, Sayali Satghare, Priya Mishra, Kashvee Gautam

Royal Challengers Bengaluru wins the toss and choses to field first.

“It’s a good batting wicket, a high-scoring match is coming up,” former India captain Mithali Raj says of the pitch at the Kotambi stadium.

It seems to be a pitch made of black soil, and the cracks seem to be not very wide. Trouble for the spinners? There shouldn’t be any as this soil type is known to be a friend of the tweakers.

Historically, the spoils have been shared by the two sides over two seasons.

Both Gujarat Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru have won two matches each in the four meetings between the two teams.

Neither side has been able to do the league double over the other.

We are back for another year of the exciting Women’s Premier League as the defending champion Royal Challengers Bengaluru takes on Gujarat Giants at Vadodara’s Kotambi stadium.