"Justifying the NUMBER 18 on her back in run chase"- Fans hail Smriti Mandhana after her 81(47) powers RCB to a commanding win vs DC in WPL 2025
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Smriti Mandhana received applause from fans following her magnificent performance in the fourth match of the WPL 2025. It came against Delhi Capitals (DC) on Monday, February 17, at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara, resulting in an eight-wicket victory for the defending champions.
DC batted first in the contest after losing the toss and scored 141 runs. They were all out in 19.3 overs after contributions from Jemimah Rodrigues (34), Sarah Bryce (23), and Annabel Sutherland (19). Renuka Singh (3/23) and Georgia Wareham (3/25) were the top performers with the ball for the Royal Challengers.
It was one-way traffic in the chase as Smriti Mandhana went on a rampage and smashed the ball to all corners of the park en route to 81 (47). Her scintillating knock was studded with three sixes and 10 fours. Courtesy of Smriti's ruthless innings, RCB chased down the target comfortably in 16.2 overs and remained at the top of the WPL 2025 points table.
Fans were impressed with Smriti Mandana's batting and captaincy skills of Smriti Mandhana after RCB's clinical win against the DC in WPL 2025. They heaped praise on her through reactions on X (formerly known as Twitter). One post read:
"Captain smriti mandhana justifying the NUMBER 18 on her back in run chase," a fan wrote.
"I really wish she had finished the chase, but okay this is one of the finest knocks she has played in the WPL. Flawless in captaincy, flawless in batting. That's Smriti Mandhana for you," a fan wrote.
"How good is Smriti Mandhana & her wrists Reminds me of peak sanga & sourav ganguly. Fabulous start this from the RCB Openers. Danny wyatt hadn't been behind either," a fan wrote.
"Smriti Mandhana is back to form with a solid knock Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, Kanika with the bat & Renuka, Georgia Wareham with the ball Looks like RCBW are going to cook hard this season & can very well be their 2nd winning campaign on trot," a fan wrote.
"It was about reacting to the ball and it came off"- RCB captain Smriti Mandhana after win vs DC in WPL 2025
At the post-match presentation, RCB skipper Smriti Mandhana reflected on the win and her batting performance, saying:
"The bowlers did a great job, restricting a batting line-up like DC to under 150 was a great job. We almost saved 15-20 runs in fielding. In batting, Danni was brilliant. The strategy was to bowl more pace early on, Baroda never plays the same way. "
She continued:
"The way we started was brilliant. Joshita came back really well in her second over. That shows her character. Really proud of our bowlers, even Ekta, the way she came back. Me and Danni batted a lot together at the Hundred, we know each other really well. We discussed we had to keep going. It was about reacting to the ball and it came off.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru will next face Mumbai Indians (MI) on Friday (February 21) at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.