Ashleigh Gardner led from the front with a stellar 58-run knock, ensuring Gujarat Giants secured a convincing six-wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), who continued their search for their first home win of the season. Despite beginning the tournament with two wins, RCB’s struggle at home extended to three straight losses.
RCB’s Batting Struggles Continue
Opting to bat first, RCB had a horror start in the powerplay. Danielle Wyatt-Hodge found the boundary early but was trapped LBW soon after. The major setback came in the second over when the in-form Ellyse Perry misplayed a short ball straight to square leg, gifting Ashleigh Gardner a wicket in her first over.
With Kashvee Gautam applying pressure through tight overs, Smriti Mandhana struggled to get going. After managing just 10 runs off 19 balls, Mandhana perished attempting to accelerate, finding the fielder at deep midwicket.
At 26/3 after the powerplay, RCB needed a rescue act. Raghvi Bist and Kanika Ahuja responded by targeting Priya Mishra for 18 runs in a single over, momentarily lifting the run rate. Ahuja looked fluent, smashing a six while Bist cleared the ropes in the following over. However, against the run of play, Bist’s dismissal proved costly—she attempted a reckless single immediately after being dropped by Gardner, only to be run out.
RCB’s innings spiraled downward from there. Ahuja fell soon after, and at 78/5, the home side was in deep trouble. Richa Ghosh couldn’t contribute at the death, and RCB managed to find the boundary only once in the final overs, finishing with a modest 125/7 in 20 overs.
Gardner Dominates the Chase
Chasing 126, Gujarat Giants made a steady start, with Renuka Singh extracting swing early. D Hemalatha found some lucky boundaries before Renuka dismissed her with a brilliant delivery, leading to a sharp stumping by Richa Ghosh.
Renuka continued her fine spell, dismissing the dangerous Beth Mooney, leaving RCB hopeful. However, Ashleigh Gardner walked in with intent, dispatching her first ball for a boundary. She took full advantage of a bowling change, smashing Prema Rawat for 4,4,4,6 in a brutal onslaught.
Despite Harleen Deol’s early dismissal, Gardner ensured Gujarat remained in control. Phoebe Litchfield, given a lifeline when Ghosh dropped a catch in the 13th over, capitalized with boundaries to solidify the chase.
With 21 balls remaining, Gardner put the game to rest, smashing back-to-back sixes off Georgia Wareham to bring up her fifty in style. Though she fell for 58, the job was nearly complete, and Litchfield’s unbeaten 30 guided Gujarat home comfortably in 16.3 overs.
Match Summary
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 125/7 in 20 overs (Kanika Ahuja 33; Tanuja Kanwar 2/16, Deandra Dottin 2/31)
Gujarat Giants: 126/4 in 16.3 overs (Ashleigh Gardner 58, Phoebe Litchfield 30; Renuka Singh 2/24)
Gujarat Giants won by 6 wickets.
RCB will now have to regroup quickly as they seek to break their losing streak in the next fixture.
