Indian cricket star Smriti Mandhana delivered a match-winning performance for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their second match of the 2025 Women’s Premier League (WPL) season. The RCB captain played a blistering knock of 81 runs off 47 balls, guiding her team to a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals (DC) at Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara.
Chasing a modest target of 142 runs, RCB dominated the game, securing the win with 20 balls to spare. Mandhana was in sublime form, smashing 10 fours and three sixes, finishing with an impressive strike rate of 172.34. This performance helped RCB maintain their unbeaten streak in the 2025 WPL season.
Smriti Mandhana Creates WPL History
With this knock, Mandhana etched her name in the history books by becoming the first player in WPL history to score multiple 80+ runs in an innings. Since the tournament’s inception in 2022, several batters have crossed the 80-run mark, but Mandhana is the only player to achieve this feat twice. Her previous best score in the WPL was 80 off 50 balls against UP Warriorz (UPW) in the 2024 season at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
Additionally, this innings saw Mandhana achieve another milestone—she crossed 500 runs in WPL history, making her only the sixth player to do so. She also became the third Indian to reach this landmark after Harmanpreet Kaur and Shafali Verma and the second RCB player after Ellyse Perry.
Mandhana’s WPL Journey
Mandhana had a difficult debut season in 2023, managing just 149 runs in eight innings at a low average of 18.62, with no half-centuries to her name. However, she bounced back in 2024, amassing 300 runs in 10 matches, including two half-centuries, and played a crucial role in RCB’s title-winning campaign.
With her stunning start to the 2025 WPL, Mandhana has reaffirmed her position as one of the most dominant batters in women’s T20 cricket, and her record-breaking innings signals a strong campaign ahead for both her and RCB.
