What did DC coach Jonathan Batty and Georgia Wareham say after the DC vs RCB match?

In match no. 4 of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025, reigning champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) extended their winning campaign with a comprehensive 8-wicket triumph over Delhi Capitals. This victory, following their earlier success against Gujarat, propelled them to the top of the points table with 4 points. With back-to-back wins, RCB has made a strong statement, portraying their dominance in the tournament.

Head Coach of the Delhi Capitals Jonathan Batty addressed the media questions after closure of play.

“We were a bit short on runs tonight. I think batting was probably more difficult at the start of the first innings. So, it was pretty pleased coming out of the power play being 55 for one and set the first two or three overs up. I thought RCB bowled really really well, and I thought Meg and Jemimah played really really well to get us to a really good place at the end of the power play. We probably made it a little bit too easy for them to take our wickets.

“We’re a little bit sloppy, potentially with some of our execution. 141 was ever really going to be enough with the dew coming in again, as batting certainly gets easier as you go through the evening. So, we knew we were going to have to take wickets and bowl them out and I probably put your bowling unit under a bit of pressure as well. Not quite runs on the board,” said Betty after a crushing defeat against the Challengers.

Batty mentioned that Meg and Jemimah built a solid partnership after Shafali’s early dismissal. He noted that they played positively while playing relatively low-risk shots. He also pointed out that most of the batters who followed managed to get decent starts, reaching scores in the 10s and 20s, but were unable to convert them into big innings.

According to him, the team needed another 50 or 60-run partnership somewhere in the batting lineup to post a more competitive total. He estimated that a score of around 170 would have been more realistic to put up a challenge, with 180 being an even stronger target.

On the pitches being dished out in Vadodara, Batty said, “Obviously the wickets were fresh when we started. This was the second time this one was usually moved, think all the wickets look pretty good to be perfectly honest and I think if you execute as a batting unit, 180 towards 200 is going to be achievable.”

He further mentioned that Jemimah Rodrigues had made significant progress over the past 12 months, particularly leading up to last year’s tournament, where she adopted a more positive approach to her game. He praised her performance, stating that she was fantastic last season and that her innings in this match closely resembled her previous displays.

He highlighted how Jemimah and Meg Lanning handled pressure well before expanding their gameplay once they felt more comfortable. He noted that Jemimah played with a high tempo and minimal risk, which was pleasing to see. However, he added that while it would have been ideal for her to convert the start into a bigger score, that is simply how cricket works, and sometimes, the evening does not go as planned.

On RCB’s dominant performance, Batty added, “I thought they were on the money, particularly early on. I thought they were well managed by the captain out there as well and they never really let us sort of get away from them, even though we were sort of threatened a couple of times, say towards the end of the power play. they kept plugging away. I think they executed their skills pretty well through that middle phase of the game as well.”

Georgia Wareham delivered an impeccable bowling spell, finishing with standout figures of 3/25 in her four-over spell, playing a pivotal role in RCB’s clinical victory. Wareham dismissed the big fish Rodrigues and continued her impressive spell, sending back Sarah Bryce in a similar fashion and later holding onto a sharp catch to dismiss Radha Yadav, further tightening RCB’s grip on the game.

The spinner from the Royal Challengers Bengaluru addressed the media questions after their victory.

“Amazing victory for us. I think to restrict them to 140 in the end was a really good job from all the bowlers and I think a really good comeback from the first game where we sort of let it bleed and put up 200 but I think then Smriti to come out and play the way that she did and just amazing – take the game straight away from him was was pretty cool and to have a bit of support from Danny as well, which was really cool,” said Wareham.

On a combined bowling performance from the pacers and the spinners, Wareham added, “I think just focusing on a few different things on length and line and just trying to hit the stumps. I guess as a bowling unit we probably didn’t do as well against Gujarat. So, kudos to everyone today that they came back and nailed their opportunities today.”

On a dominant opening stand between Mandhana and Hodge, the spinner said, “That was really good to watch -just to sit back and put the feet up and watch those guys put on and put on a show and stack the highlights.”

Applauding the current purple cap holder of the 2025 WPL Renuka Singh Thakur, she shared, “Renuka has been amazing. I think she’s got purple cup now, she probably hasn’t taken as many wickets as she would have liked in the last couple of seasons, so for her to get off to the start that she has this tournament is really good and puts her in really good stead for the rest of the tournament and heading into Bangalore.”

Wareham emphasised the importance of maintaining the right lengths during the match. She explained that avoiding deliveries that were too full while keeping the stumps in play was crucial, especially on a wicket that stayed low and offered some assistance in the first innings. Reflecting on the previous game, she admitted that she hadn’t executed this strategy as effectively but made the necessary adjustments for this match.

On getting a strong reception from the 12th Man Army of the team, Wareham added, “That’s awesome. I think the support that we get- for RCB wherever we play – we get to hear the RCB chants going around the stadium, It’s pretty special to be a part of. I was only saying to Kim during the game today when we were in the field, and everyone was just screaming RCB. I thought it to be very cool. We don’t get this anywhere else in the world. To be part of something as big as this is pretty special.”

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