'You'd rather have this sooner than later' – Malolan on RCB loss

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's seven-wicket defeat to Delhi Capitals in Vadodara ended their five-match winning run in WPL 2026, but acting head coach Malolan Rangarajan said the loss wouldn't alter the team's larger direction.

"Qualification is important, but we are not here just to qualify. We want to seal the top spot," he said. "So brushing this result under the carpet isn't easier just because we've qualified. They're all professionals. We need to understand what the conditions are. We need to find solutions. But it's also important to acknowledge how well we've played over the last six games. So when you have a game like this, you'd rather have it sooner than later so the girls can go and reflect, and as a group, we can come back with better answers."

The table-toppers were bowled out for 109. Malolan admitted RCB were second-best across the board.

"You have to give credit where it's due. DC did outplay us in all three departments today, be it batting, bowling and fielding. So, while you can tell yourself that it's good to have [a bad game] out of the way [before knockouts], you have to also acknowledge things that have happened on the field."

On the conditions, he said: "It wasn't necessarily the easiest pitch to bat on, especially in the PowerPlay. I thought Grace [Harris] and Smriti [Mandhana] started very well, [and] applied themselves… We were targeting getting about 140, it would have been plenty. And even with 110 there, we only have ourselves to blame today," hinting at RCB's sub-par fielding.

Most of RCB's batters got out trying to attack on a pitch demanding patience. Malolan backed their intent.

"The way we want to play, it sometimes might look like those were attacking shots, but you see the options they took. As long as the options that our batters took were within the game, their game plan and their strengths, I'm okay with it. Having said that, as a coaching group and as a team, we will always look to evolve ourselves and get better, and most importantly, learn. We need to find solutions when it gets challenging. We've done it brilliantly over the previous [five] games. Today was one of those days where it didn't go our way. So we'll take it on our chin, rest, and the good thing is we get a chance to play again."

On the batting order, specifically the decision to promote Richa Ghosh ahead of Radha Yadav at No. 5, Malolan explained it was about role clarity and timing.

"We also have to make sure our resource allocation has to be at its best as much as possible. Radha has a very clear role. While we are happy for her to bat at five, there's also a cutoff time for it – when it actually becomes prime time for someone like Richa to go in, so we have to keep tabs on that. The tactical side of it was that it felt as though if Richa could get going and get about 20-30 quick runs at that time, because Richa plays just the way she plays, I'd take that any day. There are going to be innings when Richa plays where she gets out early, we'll take that. But we know when she gets going, she'll turn the whole momentum of the game. And that's precisely what we wanted from Richa. Everybody is very clear of what they're expected to do when they go in."

He also highlighted Radha Yadav's impactful, if less flashy, contributions.

"Radha showed the other side of a game in the previous game… Even though she didn't score a 50, on that pitch, scoring 18 of seven [17 off 8 balls] was brilliant. She batted at 200 strike rate. Those things go unnoticed. Sometimes only 50s and fifers are recognized, but it's very important to recognize what Radha did for us last game."