It was a tough night for the Gujarat Giants in the Women’s Premier League as we went down to Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium. It is time for us to regroup and reassess. Despite the defeats, we remain confident in our ability to bounce back and make an impact in the tournament.

Batting first after being put in to bat by Smriti Mandhana, we faced early setbacks with the quick dismissals of our skipper Beth Mooney and Phoebe Litchfield. Although Harleen Deol put up some resistance, we struggled to build momentum, losing wickets at regular intervals. However, Dayalan Hemalatha's contribution of 31 not out was a positive highlight. RCB's Sophie Molineux and Renuka Thakur impressed with the ball, taking key wickets.

In response, RCB's captain Smriti Mandhana led from the front, steering her team to a strong start. Despite losing Sophie Devine early, they remained in control, with Mandhana delivering a stellar performance, achieving her highest WPL score. Although Tanuja Kanwer dismissed Mandhana, the damage had been done, and RCB secured victory with 8 wickets in hand. Gujarat Giants alumnus Sabbhineni Meghana followed up her half-century in the first match with an unbeaten 36 in this game.

It is a disappointing loss for us, but we are determined to show improvement in our upcoming matches. Our next game against UP Warriors awaits us on Friday at the same venue. Both teams are hungry for a win, and we are aiming to come out on top. We look forward to a competitive match ahead.