Richa Ghosh and Radha Yadav reminded everyone exactly why they are rated so highly in the shortest format of the game.

On Friday, the explosive batters once again stamped their class as they brought Royal Challengers Bengaluru out of the woods with a 105-run partnership for the fifth wicket and paved the way for the team’s 32-run win against Gujarat Giants in a Women’s Premier League fixture.

As a nearly-packed D.Y. Patil Stadium chanted their names, Radha (66, 47b, 6×4, 3×6) and Richa (44, 28b, 4×4, 2×6) made optimum use of reprieves and guided RCB to 182 for seven, after it was reeling at 43 for four inside the PowerPlay.

AS IT HAPPENED | RCB vs GG Highlights

Chasing a tall total, Sophie Devine and captain Beth Mooney provided the Giants a steady start, before Shreyanka Patil’s five-wicket haul (five for 23) turned things around for the 2024 champion.

As Giants lost wickets in clusters, it seemed a matter of time before RCB romped home. However, Bharti Fulmali made the most of two lifelines and delayed the inevitable with a 20-ball-39, before falling to Lauren Bell. And with that, Giants’ hopes were dashed.

The evening, however, belonged to Radha and Richa.

The decision to bowl paid off initially for Giants as fast bowlers Kashvee Gautam, Renuka Singh, and Devine struck at regular intervals to clean up RCB’s top-order. Though Grace Harris started aggressively, with four fours, she was trapped leg before by Kashvee, who followed up with the wicket of Dayalan Hemalatha in her next over. In no time, the Bengaluru outfit lost captain Smriti Mandhana and Gautami Naik in the span of an over, and scored just 45 runs in the PowerPlay.

However, Richa and Radha came to the rescue. As the Giants dropped quite a few catches, Radha accelerated the strike — en route her maiden fifty in the tournament — while Richa held fort, before hitting a couple of sixes.

Though Richa fell six runs short of a deserving fifty, her innings proved crucial. Nadine de Klerk kept the momentum going with a 12-ball-26 run cameo as RCB went past the 180-run mark and managed to defend the total successfully.

Published on Jan 16, 2026