DC vs RCB: Delhi Capitals (DC) won a convincing nine-wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in their last league game of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025. In this win, DC not only qualified for the playoffs but gave RCB their fourth successive loss as well. Chasing a score of 148, DC cruised to the target with 27 balls to spare, thanks to a masterful partnership between Shafali Verma and Jess Jonassen.
This loss meant that RCB went through their Bengaluru stint of the tournament winless, which added to their woes in the competition. On the other hand, DC had a strong run, with the combination of Verma and Jonassen being key in guiding the team to victory.
Perry’s Lone Fight for RCB in DC vs RCB WPL 2025
RCB’s batting innings began on a tough note after being asked to bat. Even with a strong contribution from Ellyse Perry, who remained unbeaten with 60 runs, RCB’s 147 for 5 was never sufficient to hold against DC’s strong batting order. Perry’s innings were a blend of aggressive shot-making and astute placement, but she did not get much support from the rest of the RCB batsmen.
Danni Wyatt-Hodge (21 off 18) and Raghvi Bist (33 off 32) got starts but were unable to make the most of them, so Perry had to steady the ship. Following the premature fall of Smriti Mandhana, Perry took the reins, pushing the scoring along. Her 44-run partnership with Wyatt-Hodge and 66-run association with Bist kept RCB in the game, although the latter association took 54 deliveries, restricting the run rate.
She scored her fourth half-century in the tournament with just 37 balls, showing the consistency displayed throughout hers in the tournament. However, RCB collapsed near the end after a laudable start.
Managing to score only 28 runs in the last four overs, losing three wickets, RCB went into the last four overs with neat score-handling with 119 for 2 in 16 overs. Faced with the prospect of having to deal with Perry merely getting seven balls in the last five overs for a modest eight runs, RCB had one more hurdle to cross. Perry has surpassed Nat Sciver-Brunt as the top run-scorer of the tournament with 295 runs after six innings.
Charani Shines on Debut for DC in WPL 2025
Delhi Capitals’ bowling managed to cap RCB’s total, with the new left-arm spinner Shree Charani being instrumental. Charani was chosen over pacer Titas Sadhu for today’s game, and she was very much at ease on her WPL 2025 debut, cleverly applying the turn on offer from the pitch and consistently varying line and length.
The measured tight spell had her bagging Raghvi Bist and Richa Ghosh from the all-important 17th over, all but halting RCB’s late surge. Charani finished with very respectable returns of 2 for 28 from her four overs.
Mandhana’s Chinnaswamy Struggles Continue
Mandhana’s poor performance at the Chinnaswamy continued as she got out cheaply in the third over, edging a ball from Shikha Pandey to Meg Lanning at wide slip. Mandhana, who was the star performer on this ground in WPL 2024, was not able to find her timing this season. Having scored just 50 runs in four innings at the Chinnaswamy, her poor form at home ground continued as DC took control of the match early.
DC’s Thrilling Chase
The chase began on a challenging note for DC, though. They lost their captain, Meg Lanning, in the early stages of the third over to Renuka Singh, who bowled an economical spell of swing bowling. Despite Lanning’s early loss, Shafali Verma and Jess Jonassen dominated the chase, compiling an unbroken 146-run second-wicket stand. This alliance created a new record for the highest partnership for any wicket in a WPL run chase, beating all previous records.
Jonassen, who had earlier batted at No. 3 and made an unbeaten 61 in an earlier match at the Chinnaswamy, was moved up the order once again. The left-right mix between Jonassen and Verma was a masterstroke, disturbing RCB’s bowlers. Jonassen was in fabulous form, scoring nine fours and a six during her 38-ball stay at the crease, hitting at a blistering rate.
Shafali had always been a dangerous player since she was dropped in the 40s a few times already this season. She hit 8 fours and 4 sixes: an extraordinary knock indeed, which was also a season-high. Her talk spellings sent shockwaves into the minds of Royal Challengers Bangalore as she and Jonassen lifted the game to a whole new level.
At 68 for 1 after the ninth over, DC took to the hunt. It was the beginning of a hammering. The RCB bowling line began to fade away. Both smashed everything in their path: 83 runs from 39 balls with eight fours and five sixes. From being a sonorous wall of support for the RCB players, the Chinnaswamy Stadium bore witness to two Delhi batters easily taking DC into the playoffs with a clinical performance.
DC’s Playoff Qualification and RCB’s Struggles
DC’s victories sent them into the final four of the WPL 2025 while RCB finished the Bangalore leg of the tournament winless. DC’s confidence should stem from a well-functioning batting and bowling unit in the knockout stage now. For RCB, though, this season has had some missed opportunities: most of their prime players could not produce any required action when it mattered the most.
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DC’s dominating performance against RCB this season reflects their power and depth ahead into the twilight stages. They need to look back and regroup and wait for a better outcome next time next season.
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