WPL 2026: Smriti Mandhana’s Masterclass Powers Bengaluru to Victory Over Delhi

January 17, 2026: Smriti Mandhana led from the front with a classy half-century at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Saturday, January 17, as Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Delhi Capitals by eight wickets. The win marked RCB’s fourth victory in a row in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026.

RCB continue to sit at the top of the five-team points table, while Delhi Capitals remain at the bottom with three losses from four matches. In WPL history, scores of 99 have been seen twice, and Mandhana’s innings became the third time a batter was dismissed in the 90s. This season has already seen two scores above 90, but a century is yet to be scored.

Shafali Verma Fights Back for Delhi

From the Delhi side, explosive opener Shafali Verma scored a fine half-century to almost single-handedly take Delhi Capitals to 166 all out after being asked to bat first. Shafali made 62 runs off 41 balls, hitting five fours and four sixes. She played attacking shots after DC were struggling at 74 for 6.

However, Shafali’s effort was overshadowed by Smriti Mandhana’s brilliant innings, as RCB chased the target in 18.2 overs.

Mandhana and Voll Seal the Chase

After early wickets, Mandhana (96 off 61 balls) and Georgia Voll (54 not out off 42 balls) stood firm and shared a match-winning partnership of 142 runs for the second wicket. This partnership laid the foundation for RCB’s win with 10 balls remaining.

Mandhana took the lead in scoring and played aggressive shots, while Voll played a supporting role early on. Both batters remained calm and scored runs comfortably to complete the chase.

Mandhana hit 13 fours and three sixes in her innings. Voll, who started slowly, picked up the pace later and finished with five fours and two sixes. The RCB Captain missed her century by four runs and was caught by debutant Lucy Hamilton off Nandani Sharma’s bowling, but the match was already in RCB’s control.

Making winning a habit 🥳@RCBTweets marching bold as they make it 4⃣ in 4⃣ ❤️

A convincing 8⃣-wicket victory to wrap up the Navi Mumbai leg 🙌

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/NnuH8NbLG5 #TATAWPL | #KhelEmotionKa | #DCvRCB pic.twitter.com/cDbPBCVqo6

— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) January 17, 2026

Delhi’s Early Collapse

Earlier, Delhi Capitals had a poor start as they lost Lizelle Lee and Laura Wolvaardt in the first over. Captain Jemimah Rodrigues, Marizanne Kapp, Niki Prasad, and Minnu Mani also failed to score big, as DC slipped to 74 for 6 in just 8.1 overs.

Shafali Keeps DC Alive

Shafali held one end firmly and continued to attack. She added 59 runs with Niki Prasad (12) to keep the innings going. She then shared a useful 34-run stand with Sneh Rana, who scored 22 runs, before Rana was dismissed in the 14th over.

The DC opener was dropped by Gautami Naik in the 16th over at long-off but could not make full use of the chance. She was eventually dismissed when she was caught off Lauren Bell’s bowling, who finished with figures of 3 for 26. Towards the end, Lucy Hamilton played a quick and impressive knock of 36 runs off 19 balls, which helped Delhi Capitals reach a competitive total.