The IPL 2026 opener was nonetheless a big one, with reigning champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) securing success at their home game. RCB played their tournament opener against the Sunrisers at the Chinnaswamy Stadium (SRH) in Bengaluru and defeated them by six wickets. The highlight of the match was not just their victory, but also the presence of Indian female cricketers Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana, and Jemimah Rodrigues in the stadium stands.
The three Indian stars of the national women’s cricket team were in attendance at the match. Patil and Mandhana were spotted in RCB jerseys, while Rodrigues donned a classic striped shirt. On the other hand, Mandhana and Patil’s relevance comes with their involvement with the franchise as part of the Women’s Premier League RCB team.
The match was played on Saturday, March 28. SRH ended the first innings at 201/9, while RCB dominated the second innings and completed the run chase in 15.4 overs. RCB currently takes the No. 1 seat in the IPL Points Table of 2026 with two and a net run rate of 2.907.
Fans on Women’s Cricketers presence
Mandhana, Patil, and Rodrigues’ appearance at the Bengaluru stands on Saturday has left the fans impressed by them. The comments on social media itself speaks. One fan wrote “Power of RCB craze”. Clearly, the fan following since their first-ever IPL title win last season has seen unprecedented growth. This time it was the women cricketers too.
Meanwhile, one fan wished his request to see Jemimah played with the RCB Women’s team in the next campaign. The fan wrote, “We want Jemima in RCB colours at any cost 😜.”
Smriti Mandhana and Shreyanka Patil for RCB Women
Both Mandhana and Patil played a pivotal role in RCB Women’s victory at the WPL 2026 title. It was the team’s second title of the tournament. Mandhana excelled in her role as both a captain and batter. She was the tournament’s highest run-scorer with 377 runs in nine innings that got her the Orange Cap too.
RCB played the 2026 WPL finals match against the Delhi Capitals, in which Mandhana scored 87 runs off 41, leading RCB Women to complete the run chase of 204. Her impressive performance had earned her the Player of the Match award.
Meanwhile, Patil also had an impressive campaign for the team at WPL 2026. She took a five-wicket haul against the Gujarat Giants Women. Followed by that, she earned a spot in the India Women’s T20I series against Australia. In that tournament, she won the Player of the Match award at Adelaide Oval.
Jemimah was part of the Delhi Capitals team, which finished as runners-up in WPL 2026.
