Star England cricketer praises Smriti Mandhana’s masterclass as RCB remain unbeaten in WPL 2026, says…

Star England cricketer Kate Cross refleted on Smriti Mandhana’s masterclass knock, which guided RCB to secure their fourth consecutive win in WPL 2026

Smriti Mandhana, RCB, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, WPL 2026, Kate Cross, Delhi Capitals, RCB-w vs DC-w, Jemimah Rodrigues, Aditya Tare, Nadine de Klerk, Lauren Bell, Grace Harris, Shafali Verma, Laura Wolvaardt — Smriti Mandhana

New Delhi: Royal Challengers Bengaluru continued their flawless run in WPL 2026, as they secured their fourth consecutive win to stay unbeaten as they concluded the Navi Mumbai leg with a victory over the Delhi Capitals. On JioHotstar’s ‘Match Centre Live,’ cricket experts Kate Cross and Aditya Tare discussed RCB’s strong start, captain Smriti Mandhana’s standout performance, and the challenges facing the Delhi Capitals.

England’s Kate Cross spoke about RCB’s dream start to WPL 2026, “That first win against MI was a bit scratchy for RCB, as they found a way of almost losing that game, if it wasn’t for Nadine de Klerk. But since then, they’ve been a class above every other team in this tournament.”

“To start the Navi Mumbai leg unbeaten and then head to Vadodara puts Smriti Mandhana and Co in a perfect position. They’ve basically qualified, and you couldn’t ask for a better start to the tournament, especially with a new group. They lost Ellyse Perry after she pulled out, obviously, so Smriti Mandhana must be thinking this is the easiest job in the world.”

Kate Cross on Mandhana’s masterclass knock

Kate also reflected on Smriti Mandhana’s masterclass knock and her WPL century, which she missed just by four runs, “I’ve always said a strong RCB is when Smriti is scoring runs, and she’s had a good start to the tournament. I’m so disappointed she couldn’t get that hundred in this match and finally put to bed that jinx around the first hundred. But when it does come, it’s going to be special.”

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“She played her best innings today. She looked comfortable at the crease; even after they lost Grace Harris quite early, it didn’t faze her. She just went about her business and put on a masterclass. She was outstanding.”

Kate also reflected on Lauren Bell’s impactful spell

Kate Cross on Lauren Bell’s impactful opening spell which crushed Delhi Capitals’s top-order, “Lauren Bell has been on the money, but she hadn’t quite picked up wickets in the powerplay before this game. This, though, was a match-changing over. To set the tone like that, the first ball to Lizelle Lee probably wasn’t how she anticipated getting the wicket, but the one to Laura Wolvaardt was a special delivery. As a seamer, you’re trying to swing the ball away, and if by chance it hits the seam and runs back in, then you’re laughing. That’s the delivery you dream about as a seamer. She’s climbed up the Purple Cap ladder as well. Three wickets in this game and the top three. It took her a while to get Shafali Verma out, but she removed the top three of the Delhi Capitals, which is exactly what you want from your strike bowler.”

Aditya Tare offered his insights on how the Delhi Capitals can turn their season around, “It’s been a tough start, especially for Jemimah Rodrigues, leading a team with a great history in the WPL. They’ve made the finals on three occasions and were previously led by an exceptional leader in Meg Lanning, who they are missing deeply this season. It’s a learning curve for Jemimah as captain at DC. But I feel the way the Capitals have set their team up, they need to be chasing more often. They don’t quite have the ability with the ball to defend targets.

“They’re very top-heavy with the bat and need that firepower up front when batting. If DC are to make a comeback in this year’s WPL, they need to focus on chasing targets and have that firepower at the top. It’s been a challenging first season for Jemimah Rodrigues as captain, but she’ll learn along the way. Of course, leading a franchise like DC, with its strong legacy in the tournament, is always going to be a learning process.”