NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bengaluru rode on a match-defining century stand between Radha Yadav and Richa Ghosh before off-spinner Shreyanka Patil spun magic with a five-wicket haul to beat Gujarat Giants by 32 runs and seal their third straight win in the Women’s Premier League on Friday.

Yadav (66 off 47 balls) and Ghosh (44 off 28) stitched together a vital 105-run partnership in 11 overs for the fifth wicket, lifting RCB to a competitive 182 for 7 after they were put in to bat.

In response, Gujarat Giants kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were eventually bundled out for 150, with Patil leading the charge through stunning figures of 5 for 23.

Gujarat Giants’ chase derailed by Patil’s spell

GG began their pursuit on a positive note as Beth Mooney (27) flicked Lauren Bell (3/29) for a boundary off the very first delivery, while Sophie Devine followed it up by smashing Linsey Smith for two fours in the next over.

Mooney looked in ominous touch, launching Bell over mid-off for a six before finishing the over with two successive boundaries to keep the scoreboard moving.

RCB drew first blood in the following over when Devine was caught and bowled by Arundhati Reddy. Patil then landed a massive blow by trapping Mooney LBW. Things went further downhill for GG when skipper Ashleigh Gardner was caught by Richa Ghosh off Bell.

Kanika Ahuja (16) briefly threatened with back-to-back boundaries but was adjudged LBW by Patil soon after. Wickets continued to tumble as Georgia Wareham fell next, leaving GG reeling at 70 for 5.

Bharti Fulmali (39 off 20 balls) top-scored for Gujarat Giants with a brisk knock, but the damage had already been done.

RCB recover strongly after early collapse

Earlier, RCB got off to a flying start with Grace Harris smashing four boundaries off Renuka Singh to collect 23 runs from the opening over.

However, Harris’ stay was cut short when Kashvee Gautam produced a perfect inswinger to trap her plumb in front of the stumps.

Gautam struck again in her next over, removing D Hemalatha, who was caught by debutant Shivani Singh.

After a tough first over, Renuka bounced back to dismiss RCB captain Smriti Mandhana, who was brilliantly caught by Rajeshwari Gayakwad with a sharp diving effort in the fifth over.

RCB continued to slide as Gautami Naik was trapped LBW by Devine (3/31), leaving the Bengaluru side struggling at 43 for 4 in the sixth over.

Radha Yadav then took the attack to Georgia Wareham, finding the boundary through point before launching her over long-on for a six.

Ghosh and Yadav rebuilt cautiously at first before the latter punished Wareham with a boundary and a maximum off successive balls.

While Yadav played the aggressor’s role, Ghosh steadily found her rhythm, piercing the gaps to keep the runs flowing.

Dropped at deep mid-off by Gautam in the 13th over, Ghosh made GG pay by clobbering Wareham over deep mid-wicket.

Ghosh later sent a Devine delivery sailing over long-off, while Yadav struck a six off the final ball of the over to bring up her fifty off just 36 balls.

The pair brought up a crucial 100-run stand in the 16th over, completely shifting the momentum RCB’s way.

Towards the death overs, Nadine de Klerk chipped in with a valuable 26 off just 12 balls to push RCB past the 180 mark.

(With PTI Inputs)