By the time the spectators could settle in at the DY Patil Stadium on Saturday, Delhi Capitals (DC) was four wickets down with just 10 runs on the board. An eerie silence descended on the dugout, with the team struggling to come to terms with the early setback.
But Shafali Verma wasn’t the one to press the panic button. She took things in her stride, and rebuilt with a gritty 41-ball-62. But in the end, her efforts went in vain as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) rode on captain Smriti Mandhana’s 61-ball 96 to pull off an eight-wicket win and end the first phase of the Women’s Premier League on a winning note.
As the surface eased out, RCB made optimum use of dropped catches and chased down Capitals’ 166 without breaking a sweat. Despite losing Grace Harris early on, RCB did not lose the plot as Smriti forged a 142-run partnership for the second wicket with Georgia Voll (54 n.o., 42b, 5×4, 2×6). Throughout her innings, Smriti seemed in no hurry, played to the merit of the ball, before missing out on a deserving century by just four runs. But with Voll around, RCB romped home with 10 balls to spare.
Before Smriti stole the show, Shafali entertained the crowd.
After Lauren Bell and Sayali Satghare made the new ball count and triggered a top-order collapse in the first couple of overs, Shafali launched a counter-attack with a flurry of fours and sixes.
To keep the momentum going, Shafali stitched a few crucial partnerships — a 59-run stand with Niki Prasad for the fifth wicket, followed by a couple more with Sneh Rana and Lucy Hamilton.
It was arguably Shafali’s grittiest innings in challenging situations. Even as wickets fell in clusters towards the end, Shafali and Hamilton, making her debut in the tournament, ensured that the Capitals put up total worth fighting for. After Bell brought an end to Shafali’s innings, Hamilton hammered Shreyanka Patil for a couple of sixes and a four.
Despite Sayali and Bell giving early rewards, the RCB bowlers lost the grip in the middle overs and could not capitalise. Shreyanka, in particular, misfired. Both Shafali and Hamilton attacked the tweakers and she conceded 44 runs in just three overs. Captain Smriti, however, ensured it didn’t hurt RCB in the end.
Published on Jan 17, 2026
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