The Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025 had a spectacular face off between Gujarat Giants (GG) and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on 14 February, 2025 at Moti Bagh Stadium picked up on February 14, 2025. The first match set the bar high for the tournament by featuring adrenaline-inducing performances and splendid upsets.
Gujarat Giants’ Innings: Gardner’s Xplosive Knock
Gujarat performed strongly and scored155 runs in less than 18 overs after winning the toss. They clearly set a goal of 200 runs for The Royal Challengers. The innings was anchored by Australian allrounder Ashleigh Gardner, who played the match magnificently. Gardner scored 79 runs in 41 balls with the help of four boundaries and seven sixes and propelled GG a commendable score of 201 for 5 in 20 overs. Skipper Beth Mooney also supported her enormously, scoring a fine 56 runs in 38 balls.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Chase: A New Record
RCB started the chase scoring slowly at first, with a set goal of 202 runs. Perry helped lay down the foundation, scoring a fine 57 runs. But the head turner was the partnership between Richa Ghosh and Kanika Ahuja. It was a critical time in the match with both the players slamming 93 runs in just 37 balls. Ghosh scored 64 rotates at the strike rate of 64. Ahuja helped further scoring 30 runs at 14 balls. They both played phenomenally and led RCB to a historic win of 6 wickets to spare with nine balls left, which no other WPL team had done before.
Gardner came under fire with pace hitting masterclass as usual was equally Guris in secrecy by WPL’ Gardner smashed the innings of Lyon’s-run scoring building two. Explosive wield**
Ghosh’s powerful grasp of GG’s sharp boundaries gave them an advantage.
Ghosh’s match-winning blitz:** With a strike rate of over 220, Ghosh scored a blistering 64 runs and showcased her class as a finisher. After being dropped on the first ball of the match, she went on to smash the ball with remarkable strength fused with exquisite style.
Ahuja’s prominent contribution:** Ahuja’s aggressive yet quick-paced 30-run knock served, together with Ghosh’s efforts, to ensure that the momentum fully remained with RCB in the final few overs that were crucial.
Impact on the Tournamnets:
This went on to set the bar at a very high mark for the WPL 2025 stakeholders and showcased the available talent besides the complete level of competitiveness with other teams. GG has further elevated the confidence for their opponents as the win has showcased the amount of depth in line with the batting performance for the side. From the perspective of GG, even though it was a loss, the game demonstrated the execution of how well strong starts can be used with good tightening of the bowling in high scoring matches.
The Conclusion:
The RCB side boosting their confidence with this chase worth contest displays and returns for GG have certainly set the mark for the rest of the challengers while increasing performance working together as a whole. This RCB vs GG match serves as a true reminder for the best matches in the WPL cup as it truly encapsulated the essence of what T20 cricket is all about; explosive batting, superb gameplay, and edge-of-the-seat instinct-driven par playing. The women’s cricket boost from the increase in fans can expect open-hand and waiting such bouts that bring to light the immense and pure nature of the game as the tournament progresses.
