The Mumbai Indians (MI) went on top of the points table of Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 after registering a seven-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in a match that promised a lot but failed to deliver as per expectations at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday.
Chasing 132 runs for victory, the opening pair of Hayley Mathews and Yastika Bhatia got MI off to a flying start, putting on 37 runs in the first three overs and despite Sophie Devine removing the former (31 runs off 15 balls), the reigning champions were well in front in the chase.
MI raced away to 60 for 1 after six overs and Mathews, along with stand-in skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt looked like taking the defending champions home before Shreyanka Patil struck to send the former (26 runs off 21 balls) back, caught by Smriti Mandhana, to give her side some form of an opening to cash in on.
But Sciver-Brunt (27 runs off 24 balls) and Amelia Kerr nearly shut the door on the home side with a 49-run stand for the third wicket, before the former fell while trying a reverse sweep against Georgia Wareham.
The final touches to the victory were added by Kerr (40 runs off 23 balls) and Pooja Vastrakar, who brushed aside the remaining runs and took MI home to a comfortable victory.
Earlier, a 52-run stand for the sixth wicket between Ellyse Perry (44 runs off 37 balls) and Georgia Wareham (27 runs off 29 balls) helped RCB recover from a difficult start and post 131 for 6 in their 20 overs.
The new ball trio of Sciver-Brunt, Mathews and Issy Wong showed good discipline in the Powerplay and were rewarded in the third over when Mandhana (9 runs off 11 balls) took the aerial route but mistimed the shot, caught by Sciver-Brunt at covers off Wong.
Then, in the space of a couple of overs, RCB found themselves in desperate strife as both Sabbhineni Meghana (11 runs off 12 balls) and Sophie Devine (9 runs off 10 balls) were dismissed to Sciver-Brunt and Saika Ishaque respectively to put MI on top.
The onus now was on the returning Perry and wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh to begin the rescue act but when the latter fell in the ninth over, caught by S Sajana off Pooja Vastrakar’s bowling, RCB were well-and-truly under the pump at 42 for 4 after nine overs.
Perry was joined by fellow Australian Sophie Molineux and the pair combined some sharp running between the wickets and the occasional boundary to add some impetus to the innings. But just when things seemed like picking up for the hosts, Molineux fell (12 runs off 14 balls) and bowled to Vastrakar, leaving the hosts 71 for 5 in the 13th over.
The home side needed Perry to stick around till the 20th over and the ace all-rounder kept her end going and along with Georgia Wareham for company, took the hosts to 98 for 5 after 15 overs.
The 33-year-old was well supported by Wareham and it was the pair’s stand that gave the RCB bowlers something to bowl at after the first innings.
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