India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) all-rounder Shreyanka Patil praised the uncapped Indian batting all-rounder Gautami Naik and expressed happiness at the team’s victory in the ongoing Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 tournament on Monday and being the first to qualify for the playoffs.
In the post-match press conference, Shreyanka Patil praised Gautami Naik for scoring her first fifty in the WPL and leading RCB to their fifth victory this season. Shreyanka said that considering the domestic performances, Gautami’s strong batting was expected. She also mentioned Gautami’s power-hitting capability and credited her hard work and commitment.
“I mean, personally, if you ask me, the way she batted. We all knew that it was coming soon because I had watched it closely in the domestic circuit as well. The way she hits the ball, not many can hit the ball that big in domestic. She has worked really hard, she has put in the extra yards in fielding, batting and bowling also,” she said.
RCB carried on their triumphant journey in the WPL 2026 by beating Gujarat Giants (GG) by 61 runs in Vadodara, marking their fifth straight win and ostentatiously placing them at the top of the points table with a flawless record. RCB batted first and set a respectable target of 178/6 in 20 overs, the highlight of which was Gautami Naik’s coming-of-age innings of 73 runs off 55 balls, the uncapped Indian batter’s maiden WPL half-century. Smriti Mandhana (26) and Richa Ghosh (27) were also among the contributors who helped RCB bounce back from an early batting collapse. For GG, Ash Gardner and Kashvee Gautam were the two bowlers who each claimed a couple of wickets.
Initial struggles of Gujarat Giants, brought about by the RCB’s speed attack, were evident right from the start. The pacer Sayali Sathghare was the one responsible for the first two dismissals and before the end of the third over, GG were left with just 5 runs for the loss of 3 wickets. A valiant 54 from Ash Gardner was not enough to save the team from the disaster as GG ended with a score of 117/8 after 20 overs. Sayali was the best bowler with an impressive figure of 3 for 21, she was ably assisted by Nadine de Klerk (2/17) and Lauren Bell (1/23).
Th team is really happy, said Shreyanka Patil, with the five straight wins that were obtained even though the team had a hectic schedule of three matches in four days and traveling. She praised the management and the therapists for making the players’ recovery possible and also pointed out the strong team camaraderie.
“I mean, obviously, we’re very happy that we got five in a row wins now. It wasn’t that easy for us over the last four days to play three games and a travel day as well. So the team, the management, and the physios have really put in that extra effort to make sure all the players are recovered well, giving water, giving electrols the massage. Everything is happening so well, and the team camaraderie is actually really good, and we are having fun right now,” Shreyanka said.
RCB has secured a spot in the playoffs with this victory, while on the other hand, GG sitting in the fourth place with two wins out of five matches, are still not sure of their path forward