Gautami Naik scored an outstanding half-century to set the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) up for an emphatic 61-run win over the Gujarat Giants in their Tata Women's Premier League match at the BCA Stadium, Vadodara, on Monday night.
The toss went Ashleigh Gardner's way and the Giants' captain opted to bowl first. RCB responded by posting a competitive 178 for six, before their bowlers restricted the Giants to 117 for eight in 20 overs.
The victory secured RCB qualification into the playoffs and extended their unbeaten run for this season to five matches in a row. They have now equalled Mumbai Indians' 2022-23 season run of five consecutive wins in a single season. The visitors have completed the double over the Giants, whom they defeated by 32 runs last week. It's also their fifth in eight meetings.
A performance to cherish! 🫡
— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) January 19, 2026
Gautami Naik's maiden #TATAWPL half-century earns her the Player of the Match award 👏
Relive her knock ▶️ https://t.co/9imfNMhkI5 #KhelEmotionKa | #GGvRCB pic.twitter.com/aDBx1NG3zs
“Her (Gautami) application was spot on. The wicket wasn't easy to bat but she understood very quickly and adapted to it very well. For her to do it not having the experience, that's a very commendable job,” Smriti Mandhana, the RCB captain, explained.
Gautami showed great awareness as she constructed her match-winning knock of 73 runs from 55 balls (7X4s, 1X6). This is her maiden WPL half-century and she faced 42 deliveries to reach the milestone. The top-order batter joined Smriti Mandhana in the middle at the start of the third over. Her first port of call was to consolidate and then rebuild with her captain. RCB were on 9 for two after losing Grace Harris and Georgia Voll to Renuka Singh and Kashvee Gautam's brilliant bowling.
'I PROVED MYSELF'
"I am feeling very happy that I got a chance and I proved myself. The RCB management and coach put their faith in me and I am happy to go implement that," Gautami shared.
Gautami and Mandhana got RCB back on course with a 60-run third-wicket partnership off 45 deliveries. Their partnership, which was gathering momentum, ended when the RCB captain was dismissed by her opposite number, Ashleigh Gardner. Mandhana was replaced by Richa Ghosh.
Gautami and Ghosh added 69 runs off 39 balls for the fourth wicket. Sophie Devine kept the Giants in the contest with Ghosh's dismissal in the 17th over, before Gardner continued the fightback by accounting for Gautami, who had upped her scoring rate since passing 50.
“Different people have put their hands up in different games, not relying on a few players. Different bowlers, different batters have stepped up in the games. That's been a massive key to our success in the last five games,” Nadine de Klerk, who took two wickets for RCB and is now the Purple cap holder, shared.
The contest was characterised by poor starts. RCB finished the powerplay on 37 for two, while the Giants had limped to 29 for three after the first six overs. However, unlike RCB who recovered well, the Giants didn't have the firepower to shift the pressure from their batters and onto the opposition bowlers.
Gardner was the Giants' lone warrior. She bided her time and compiled a well-played 54 from 43 balls. This is her seventh WPL half-century, and she faced 39 deliveries to reach the milestone. Her dismissal summed up the Giants' performance; the captain chased a wide delivery, only to direct it to Sayali Satghare for an easy catch at backward point.
“I was pretty angry out there, to be quite honest. I was just really frustrated. I was either hitting good shots to fielders or missing the ball. Upon reflection, I was trying to hit the ball too hard,” Gardner explained.
Satghare was RCB’s most successful bowler with three wickets for 21 runs in four overs. Nadine de Klerk supported her well with two wickets for 17 runs in four overs, while Lauren Bell, Radha Yadav and Shreyanka Patil chipped in with a wicket each.