Smriti Mandhana praises RCB's bowling unit after dominant win over DC

Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], January 18 (ANI): Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper Smriti Mandhana praised the team's bowling unit after a dominant win against Delhi Capitals in the 11th match of the ongoing Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026 season on Saturday. DC captain Jemimah Rodrigues, on the other hand, praised Shafali Verma's batting but admitted the team's bowling needs to improve.
Chasing 167, Smriti Mandhana (96 off 61 balls, including 13 fours and three sixes), along with Georgia Voll (54* runs off 42 balls, including five fours and two sixes), were the standout performers with the bat for the Bengaluru-based franchise. On the bowling front, Lauren Bell (3-26 in four overs) and Sayali Satghare (3-27 in three overs), along with Prema Rawat (2-16 in three overs), were the standout performers.
After winning the Player of the Match award for her 96-run innings, Mandhana praised the bowling unit for executing their plans brilliantly, especially in the opening overs
"It was amazing to see everyone bowling well, especially in the first three overs. Sayali and Bell doing what they do best. I feel everyone executed the plans well. Anya has been on it, she is an experienced player and she knows having done it. We wanted to get Shafali off the strike and everyone just bowled extremely well in that phase," Mandhana said at the post-match presentations.
Mandhana said chasing made batting easier, as it helped her decide which bowlers to attack and defend against. Mandhana also noted that bringing Georgia Voll in at No. 3 strengthened the batting line-up, making the team more balanced.
"It was good. Chasing a total is a lot easier than setting up as you never knew what is a good total. When we lost Grace, I knew which bowlers to take on and which bowler to defend. Good it worked. We thought we were one batter short in the last three games, and Voll coming in at No. 3 fits in well," Mandhana added further.
Delhi Capitals' captain Jemimah Rodrigues praised Shafali's aggressive batting that lifted the team from 10/4 to 166/10 in the end. However, she also added that the team needs to improve its bowling and will return with a fearless, all-out approach.
Jemimah Rodrigues said, "From 10 for 4 how Shifu [Shafali] batted was great and I was so happy with the way she kept the intent on. And also Lucy in her debut game. I knew she could bat but I have never seen her bat. It was crazy. She was so calm under pressure. She ended up taking our team to a fighting score. [On not bowling Kapp earlier] There are always those moments. Maybe I could have got Kapp back early. But Nandani also bowled well. We have to work on our bowling and come back stronger. We have nothing to lose and will go all out."
Chasing 167, RCB were rocked early as they lost opener Grace Harris (1) early in the innings, whose wicket was claimed by DC's Marizanne Kapp.
However, a 142-run partnership off 91 balls not only brought RCB back into the game, but it also made sure the team remained unbeaten in the WPL 2026. While DC did manage to get rid of Mandhana in the final stages of the match, Voll remained unbeaten and took RCB over the line with a boundary, with 10 balls remaining.
For DC, only Marizanne Kapp (1-21 in four overs) and Nandini Sharma (1-34 in four overs) were the wicket-takers in the match.
Earlier, Delhi Capitals were bundled out for 166 in 20 overs. After being reduced to 10/4, the Capitals slumped to 74/6 at one stage after they lost wicketkeeper-batter Lizelle Lee (4), Laura Wolvaardt (0), captain Jemimah Rodrigues (4), Marizanne Kapp (0), Niki Prasad (12), and Minnu Mani (5).
Opener Shafali Verma played a superb knock of 62 runs off 41 deliveries, including five fours and four sixes. She was supported by Sneh Rana (22) and Lucy Hamilton (36) as they rescued Delhi to 166. (ANI)