Long before the Powerplay had ended, Royal Challengers Bangalore found themselves in deep trouble, their top four already back in the dugout. The plan to hold back Richa Ghosh for a late-innings burst unraveled quickly, forcing her to walk in at No. 6 with fielding restrictions still in place. That moment set the stage for RCB’s bold batting call to be truly tested — Radha Yadav stepping in at No. 5 to partner Richa.
In the season opener, a special effort from Nadine de Klerk spared RCB from an embarrassing loss while chasing 155. The next game saw Grace Harris dominate early, leaving little need to examine the middle-order reshuffle. Friday, however, offered no such escape. At 43 for 4, RCB finally revealed what only the management had been quietly confident about — that Radha Yadav was capable of handling No. 5 on the grand stage of the Women's Premier League.
Until this season, Radha had spent most of her career batting at No. 8 or lower — 39 of her previous 50 international and WPL outings. With Pooja Vastrakar injured, the responsibility of No. 5 suddenly fell on her shoulders. It was a role she had quietly performed for Baroda for nearly a decade, even if it rarely came into the spotlight. This was her chance to validate the faith shown in her secondary skill.
Her first few deliveries told a calm story — a confident drive to mid-off, a push to mid-on, a punch through covers. No runs came, but stability did. With wickets tumbling around her, Radha resisted the urge to attack recklessly, choosing instead to settle in. She mixed pulls and flicks with controlled drives, staying composed.
For the first 10 balls, she managed just three runs. Then came the release. Facing Georgia Wareham, she sliced one through point and followed it up by launching a flighted delivery straight down the ground for six. The innings began to breathe.
As Richa took her time at the other end, Radha found rhythm. The bowlers — seam and spin alike — erred in offering width, and she made them pay, extending her long arms through the off side. Later, Michael Klinger, head coach of Gujarat Giants, admitted that the tactic, intentional or otherwise, backfired. Even Renuka Singh persisted with width when the ball had stopped moving.
Despite options like Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Tanuja Kanwar, Giants skipper Ashleigh Gardner rotated only five bowlers. None could stem the flow. Radha didn’t need to force the issue — she kept the ball on the ground, found gaps, and rotated strike effortlessly.
When boundaries briefly dried up, she ensured the scoreboard still ticked. As the stand grew, Richa accelerated too, while Radha began manipulating the field with ease.
“We knew she was a good player,” Klinger conceded. “Once the swing was gone, we didn’t attack the stumps enough and leaked boundaries with width.”
Switching to a leg-side-heavy plan didn’t help either. Radha stepped away, opened the off side, and even shuffled across to guide the ball past the keeper.
Her innings showcased complete control over tempo. She protected her wicket early, rotated strike through the middle overs, and surged after crossing 35. Using the full width of the crease, she neutralised every plan thrown at her. By the end, she became only the third Indian batter this season to score a half-century.
Her scoring phases:
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Balls 1–10: 3 runs
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Balls 11–20: 19 runs
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Balls 21–30: 13 runs
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Balls 31–40: 25 runs
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Balls 41–47: 6 runs
There was luck too — dropped twice by Gardner and Bharti Fulmali — but it hardly diminished the quality of the knock.
“The first ball I faced, I middled it,” Radha later said. “That gave me confidence because I’ve done this before at state level and for India A. Doing it here, on this stage, is special. Richa kept telling me to stay calm — that dot balls were okay and we could cash in later.”
The partnership of 105 runs in just 66 balls with Richa transformed the match, and a late cameo from de Klerk sealed a 32-run win for RCB.
Captain Smriti Mandhana explained the thinking: “Radha has always played this role for her state and done well, even on the India A tour of Australia. When we lost Pooja early, the simplest swap was Radha. This is an Indian league — if someone’s succeeded in that role in domestic cricket, you back them.”
After Friday’s display, calling it an “experiment” feels almost redundant. Some selection questions remain — such as persisting with Linsey Smith in the Powerplay at the cost of top-order firepower — but results have so far justified the strategy. Three wins from three games and a spot at the top of the table offer strong validation.
In the end, when the spotlight, opportunity, and pressure all aligned, Radha Yadav didn’t hesitate. She announced herself — convincingly — as RCB’s dependable No. 5.
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