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The Women's Premier League (WPL) 2025 season opener between Gujarat Giants Women and Royal Challengers Bengaluru rewrote record books on Friday as Smriti Mandhana's side clinched a six-wicket win over the Gujarat-based franchise.
A half-century by Ellyse Perry and audacious ball-striking in death overs by half-centurion Richa Ghosh and Kanika Ahuja helped defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) kickstart their Women's Premier League (WPL) campaign with a massive six-wicket win in Vadodara on Friday. The chase of 202 runs by the Bengaluru-based franchise against the Giants was the highest target successfully chased in the WPL. Earlier, Mumbai Indians held the record when they chased a 191-run target against Gujarat in 2024. The WPL 2025 season opener also had the highest match aggregates in the tournament, with 403. Previously, the record was held by the match between Gujarat Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2023, with an aggregate of 391. The unbeaten partnership of 93 runs between Kanika Ahujaa and Richa Ghosh also registered the third-highest for the Bengaluru-based franchise in WPL. A total of 16 sixes were smashed in the game between RCB and GG in Vadodara, which is the second-most hit in a WPL match. Earlier, RCB's match against DC in 2024 held the second spot with 19 sixes. Summarizing the match, RCB won the toss and elected to field first. After being put to bat first, GG's opening pair of Beth Mooney and Laura Wolvaardt took their time picking up speed, with Mooney hitting some boundaries. However, Laura was cleaned up by Renuka Thakur for 6 (10 balls, with one four) by Renuka Singh. It was captain Ashleigh Gardner's unbeaten 79-run knock and Mooney's 56 runs from 42 balls, which powered the Gujarat-based franchise to 201/5 in the first inning. Renuka was the pick of the bowlers, conceding just 25 runs and getting two wickets. Kanika, Wareham and Prerna got one wicket each. During the run-chase of 202, RCB openers Mandhana and Danni Wyatt-Hodge started with three fours in the first over, but Gardner pushed them back by removing both the openers in the next over. Later in the second inning, Ellyse Perry (57), Richa Ghosh (64*) and Kanika Ahuja (30*) played a stupendous knock and chased down the target in just 18.3 overs, helping RCB clinch a 6-wicket triumph on Friday. Gardner led the Giants' bowling attack with her two wickets. Richa Ghosh was named the 'Player of the Match' following her magnificent knock. (ANI)
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