Mandhana completes RCB's takeover of Navi Mumbai

Outside the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, among the replica merchandise sold by roadside vendors, Smriti Mandhana's Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) jersey is the most visible. RCB flags are waved around to draw in buyers, often even on days when the team is not playing. More recently, jerseys with Richa Ghosh's name have joined the racks too.

Inside the stadium, the cheers for RCB at times drowns out the support for the local side, Mumbai Indians. Through the Navi Mumbai leg of WPL 2026, RCB have not only enjoyed support that resembles a home crowd, but have also performed like a team playing at their home ground, making the most of the conditions to win all four of their matches. In the last game at the venue this season, against Delhi Capitals (DC), they finished with authority, giving their passionate fans what they came for.

RCB have fielded a combination well-suited to a ground that has traditionally favoured batters. Having a line-up full of proven T20 hitters is one thing, but having them contribute as a unit has been the difference. It was Nadine de Klerk in the first game, Grace Harris in the second, and Ghosh and Radha Yadav in the third. On Saturday, it was Mandhana's turn.

The conditions at the DY Patil Stadium suited the strengths of RCB's bowlers too, with movement available early on in the innings. Dew is usually a big factor at this venue, but in the one match where RCB had to defend a target, they struck early and then relied on spinners and pace bowlers executing slower balls perfectly. They have also restricted oppositions to under 170 in three games where they bowled first.

Harris reflected on how RCB had combined skill and teamwork to find success in Navi Mumbai. "I think we have been pretty fortunate with the conditions, winning the toss here with the dew coming in late," she said. "Having said that, you still have to perform very well to get the most out of it. To be honest, it's been a pretty good team effort. There have been multiple people chipping in and we have just found a way at the moment to keep scoring runs when there is pressure applied, or we have taken wickets when it seems like other teams can't.

"Skill-wise, we are going very well. So far, with the bat, we have had four or five different people stand up. You can't ask for much more, especially in this format."

Coming into the game against DC, Mandhana had been struggling to find her tempo this season, with timing eluding her and starts going to waste. Against DC too, she did not begin fluently. She was beaten outside off by Marizanne Kapp second ball as she attempted a big shot. Her first boundary came through a pull off Lucy Hamilton that sailed over square leg despite Mandhana not quite being in control of the shot, but in the same over came a familiar sight: a drive through backward point.

From there, she took control of the chase, with "RCB, RCB" chants growing louder as fans sensed the possibility of a first-ever WPL hundred. That moment did not arrive, with Mandhana falling four short of the landmark, and the crowd fell quiet as she walked off disappointed.

Still, the innings meant more than Mandhana finding form. She had spoken about making a conscious effort to hit more sixes this season without sacrificing timing, and she ticked that box too. Her big hits were on display: she hauled Nandani Sharma's slower ball over midwicket, pulled Hamilton with authority, and stepped out to launch Minnu Mani over long-off.

"It [my innings] was good," Mandhana said at the post-match presentation. "Chasing a total is a lot easier than setting up because as a batter you never know what is a good total on wickets like these. When we got 160-odd and we lost Grace [in the third over], I knew which bowlers to take on and which bowler to respect. So small little things you do, some days it works and some days it doesn't in T20s. I'm glad it worked today."

Earlier in the day, the loudest cheers were reserved for RCB's new-ball spearhead Lauren Bell. From her first ball of the season - one that shaped away sharply from MI's Amelia Kerr - she's been the reason RCB have ruled the powerplay. Her first over to DC was pure theatrics: it included an outswinger, a short ball, a full inswinger to bowl Lizelle Lee, and another inswinger to hit Laura Wolvaardt's stumps. She's been valuable in the death overs too, where she has shown adaptability, nailing the slower deliveries with a wet ball.

"In testing conditions or with dew, to be able to execute slower balls, I know that takes a bit of guts to even try," Harris said. "It also takes a bit of skill to actually do it well. Someone like Lauren Bell or Nadine de Klerk who has taken pace off and still managed to land it on a length and not just given a full toss or anything like that."

While Bell has troubled right-handers, RCB have also had answers for left-hand batters. Offspinner Shreyanka Patil, who missed an entire season with injury, is back to doing what she did for the side when they won the title in 2024. Five of her eight wickets this season have been left-handers. She went for runs against DC after a five-for in the previous game, but that did not matter, with the rest of her bowling making up for it.

This match also showcased RCB's depth. In their earlier wins, different batters had stepped up, but Nos. 3 and 4 had been their weak links. Georgia Voll was brought in for D Hemalatha at No. 3, and she responded with a half-century. Her innings was not flawless as she started slowly, but she complemented Mandhana, and with her inclusion, the batting line-up looks stronger.

There were gains in other departments too. Legspinner Prema Rawat took 2 for 16 in three overs, while Sayali Satghare, in for Arundhati Reddy, struck twice early on and was accurate. When Reddy or Pooja Vastrakar return, RCB will have difficult decisions to make, a measure of how much quality they currently have.

With Mandhana noting that Reddy's return would complete their best XI, RCB will aim to carry their formidable form to the opening game of the Vadodara leg on Monday, regardless of whether the fans follow them there..