Vadodara, January 19, 2026 – Royal Challengers Bengaluru became the first team to reach the WPL 2026 playoffs after beating Gujarat Giants by 61 runs at BCA Stadium. RCB made 178 for 6 in their 20 overs before bowling Gujarat out for just 117. The win gave RCB their fifth straight victory in the tournament.
Gautami Naik top-scored with 73 off 55 balls, her first WPL fifty. The uncapped Indian batter handled the slow pitch well and put together useful partnerships with Smriti Mandhana and Richa Ghosh. Sayali Satghare then tore apart Gujarat’s top order, taking 3 for 21 and finishing a complete team effort.
Gujarat won the toss and put RCB into bat, but their bowlers couldn’t contain the opposition. The chase fell apart immediately as Gujarat lost both openers in the power play. Only Ashleigh Gardner put up a fight with 54 runs, but nobody stayed with her long enough.
Gautami Naik’s Breakthrough Innings
Gautami came in after an early wicket and looked settled from the start. She often found the gaps and hit boundaries when she needed to. Her partnership with captain Smriti Mandhana brought in 60 runs off 45 balls, which was a great start for RCB.
Mandhana made 26 off 23 balls before getting dismissed. Richa Ghosh walked in next and went after the bowling straightaway. The young wicketkeeper smashed three sixes during her 27-run knock off just 20 balls. Gautami and Richa added 69 runs, putting the game beyond Gujarat’s reach.
While Gautami had lost her place earlier this season, but returned strongly when called back. She explained her game plan after the match, mentioning that the pitch played slowly and she wanted to bat deep while keeping the scoreboard moving. Her 73 runs became the highest score by an uncapped Indian in WPL 2026 so far.
Radha Yadav smashed 17 off just 8 balls at the death. Shreyanka Patil stayed unbeaten on 8 off 2 deliveries as RCB reached 178 for 6. Gujarat’s bowlers bowled 21 extras, including 15 wides, gifting RCB easy runs.
Sayali Wrecks Gujarat’s Start
Chasing 179, Gujarat needed their openers to fire, but the opposite happened. Sayali Satghare got both Beth Mooney for 3 and Sophie Devine for a duck in her first over. Gujarat crashed to 4 for 2 inside two overs and couldn’t recover after that.
Lauren Bell got another wicket as Gujarat limped to 29 for 3 during the powerplay. Captain Anushka Sharma tried rebuilding with 18 runs but lost her wicket when it mattered. Nadine de Klerk bowled economically, ending with 2 for 17 from her four overs.
Ashleigh Gardner came in and hit some big shots to keep Gujarat interested. She got to fifty with a boundary and looked dangerous for a while. But wickets fell regularly at the other end, leaving her alone out there.
Gujarat sent Kashvee Gautam ahead of Bharti Fulmali, which made no sense. Kashvee scratched around for 4 off 8 balls, striking at barely 112. Fulmali had been hitting at over 178 in her last five games and should have batted higher up.
RCB’s bowlers didn’t let Gujarat build anything. Dot balls piled up and the required rate kept climbing. Gujarat ended on 117 for 8 in their 20 overs, losing by 61 runs. This became their third loss in a row.
RCB Stay Unbeaten
This win was RCB’s fifth in five games, keeping them unbeaten in WPL 2026. They top the points table with 10 points and a net run rate of around plus 1.8. No other team has made the playoffs yet.
RCB already beat Gujarat earlier in the season during their earlier RCB vs Gujarat Giants clash, doing the double over them. The team’s mix of good batting and tight bowling has clicked perfectly.
Captain Smriti Mandhana has led well through the tournament. Her calm thinking and smart field placements have helped RCB stay unbeaten. Different players have won games for them rather than depending on one or two names every match.
Losing Ellyse Perry before the season worried RCB fans. The Australian had made 972 runs and taken 14 wickets in WPL, playing a huge part in their 2024 title. But Indian players like Gautami Naik and Sayali Satghare have filled that gap without problems.
Lauren Bell keeps getting early wickets with the new ball. The English pacer doesn’t let batters settle and creates pressure from ball one. Grace Harris gives power in the middle overs while Richa Ghosh finishes things off with clean hitting.
Sayali’s rise has been a big story this WPL. She replaced Perry and has made the most of it. Her spell against Gujarat, removing both openers in one over, showed she can handle pressure. She bowled well against the Delhi Capitals, too, proving this wasn’t luck.
Suggested Read: Watch Smriti Mandhana’s match-winning knock from another WPL 2026 game.
Gujarat Keep Losing
Gujarat has lost three straight matches after winning its first two. Their batting falls apart too often, with the top order failing repeatedly. Beth Mooney and Sophie Devine have experience, but haven’t clicked together this season.
The team’s decisions have been poor, too. Sending Kashvee ahead of Fulmali made zero sense, looking at recent form. Kashvee strikes around 100 while Fulmali has been hitting close to 180. When you’re trying to get big scores, these little mistakes hurt a lot.
Ashleigh Gardner tries to lead the team with bat and ball, but she can’t do it by herself. She said after the match that Gujarat missed key moments and their batting failed again. They need others to contribute if they want to reach the playoffs.
Georgia Wareham got just 2 runs. While Bharti Fulmali made 14 off 15 balls, batting too low to make a difference. The middle order has no answers when the top fails, which keeps happening for Gujarat.
Their next game is against UP Warriorz on January 22, 2026. They must win that to stay alive in the playoff race. With only five league games left per team, Gujarat can’t afford more losses.
What Happens Next
RCB plays with Delhi Capitals next on Saturday, January 24, 2026. They’ve already qualified, so could try new players or combinations. But knowing how Smriti thinks, they’ll probably keep winning and not worry about experiments yet.
Finishing top of the table gives two shots at making the final during the playoffs. Winning all of your league games also gives you confidence for the knockouts. RCB’s bowling is sharp, and their batting goes deep, so they are the favorites right now.
Gujarat has some do-or-die games coming up. They have good players, but they keep making mistakes when things get tough. Bad shot selection and wrong tactics have cost them recent games.
The management might shuffle the batting order to give in-form players more chances. This tournament has already given some close finishes and great individual shows, producing another big WPL 2026 result every few days. RCB’s run has been the main story, but other teams will be planning how to beat them.
The Vadodara crowd, even at Gujarat’s home ground, mostly supported RCB. Traveling fans and local RCB supporters made plenty of noise. School kids filled many seats, creating good energy even though the match became one-sided quickly.
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