 "Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Eliminator in WPL 2024")
The fans of Royal Challengers Bangalore would be dreaming of an title after the women's team defeated Mumbai Indians by 5 runs in the eliminator of Women's Premier League (WPL) 2024 on Friday. The crowds at Arun Jaitley Stadium have been cheering for RCB star player Ellyse Perry since the start of the match and the cheers of RCB... RCB reverberates around the stadium after the last ball was bowled.
Coming to the match, Mumbai Indians lost various opportunity in the match to the play the second final in a row.
With just 20 runs needed off the last 18 balls to win, Mumbai failed to seal the final spot. MI captain Harmanpreet Kaur was at the crease that time and she was caught at the boundary line off the last delivery of 18th over. With 16 needed off the last 12 balls, Molineux conceded only four singles in the over and also took the wicket of S Sajana.
The equation -- 12 runs off 6 deliveries -- was still getable for Mumbai given Amelia Kerr was at the other end. But Asha Sobana didn't allow either of the two batters to use the long handle and conceded only six runs, thus sealing a spot of final for RCB.
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Earlier, chasing the below-par total, Mumbai were off to a flying start on the back of Hayley Mathews' powerful hitting. Shreyanka Patil gave RCB the first breakthrough in the fourth over when Hayley holed out to deep mid-wicket with 27 runs on the board.
Harmanpreet Kaur and Nat Sciver-Brunt, then, steadied the Mumbai Indians. They were on course of the victory before, MI kneeled under pressure in the final three overs of the match.
| Mumbai Indians Women (T: 136 runs from 20 ovs) | ||||||
| BATTING | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
| Yastika Bhatia † | b Perry | 19 | 27 | 3 | 0 | 70.37 |
| Hayley Matthews | c Wareham b Patil | 15 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 107.14 |
| Nat Sciver-Brunt | b Wareham | 23 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 135.29 |
| Harmanpreet Kaur (c) | c Devine b Patil | 33 | 30 | 4 | 0 | 110 |
| Amelia Kerr | not out | 27 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 108 |
| Sajeevan Sajana | st †Ghosh b Molineux | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Pooja Vastrakar | st †Ghosh b Sobhana | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
| Amanjot Kaur | not out | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
| Extras | (lb 4, nb 1, w 2) | 7 | ||||
| TOTAL | 20 Ov (RR: 6.50) | 130/6 | ||||
| BOWLING | O | M | R | W | ECON | 0s |
| Renuka Singh | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 3 |
| Shreyanka Patil | 4 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 11 |
| Sophie Devine | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 4 |
| Ellyse Perry | 4 | 0 | 29 | 1 | 7.25 | 9 |
| Sophie Molineux | 4 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 4 | 11 |
| Georgia Wareham | 4 | 0 | 37 | 1 | 9.25 | 6 |
| Asha Sobhana | 2 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 6.5 | 3 |
Opting to bat first, Royal Challengers Bangalore Sophie Devine and Smriti Mandhana hit some lusty blows but Hayley Mathews kept the RCB crowd shut with the wicket of the former. Mandhana followed her opening partner two balls later after Ellyse Perry joined her. The wickets, though, kept tumbling and RCB were reduced to 23-3 inside 4 Overs. Richa Ghosh and Perry brought semblance to the Bangalore innings, with RCB scoring only 34 runs in the powerplay.
The Mumbai Indians kept the run flow in check before Richa Ghosh got perished in the 10th over while trying to hit big runs.
However, Perry continued from where she left in the previous match and stitched useful partnerships with Sophie Molineux and Georgia Wareham. First, Perry and Molineux put up 34 runs stand and took RCB out of shambles, then, along with Wareham-Perry played some counter-attacking shots in the death overs, putting 32 runs stand.
Perry, though, went back to the pavilion in the 20th over, scoring 66 runs off 50 balls, hitting eight fours and one six. Wareham (18 runs off 10 balls) ended RCB innings on a high as she finished with a six.
| Royal Challengers Bangalore Women (20 ovs maximum) | ||||||
| BATTING | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
| Smriti Mandhana (c) | c Ismail b Nat Sciver-Brunt | 10 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 142.85 |
| Sophie Devine | b Matthews | 10 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 142.85 |
| Ellyse Perry | c Nat Sciver-Brunt b Ishaque | 66 | 50 | 8 | 1 | 132 |
| Disha Kasat | c Vastrakar b Ishaque | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Richa Ghosh † | c Nat Sciver-Brunt b Matthews | 14 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 73.68 |
| Sophie Molineux | b Nat Sciver-Brunt | 11 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 64.7 |
| Georgia Wareham | not out | 18 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 180 |
| Shreyanka Patil | not out | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
| Extras | (lb 3) | 3 | ||||
| TOTAL | 20 Ov (RR: 6.75) | 135-6 | ||||
| BOWLING | O | M | R | W | ECON | 0s |
| Shabnim Ismail | 4 | 1 | 30 | 0 | 7.5 | 12 |
| Hayley Matthews | 4 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 4.5 | 10 |
| Nat Sciver-Brunt | 4 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 4.5 | 14 |
| Saika Ishaque | 3 | 0 | 27 | 2 | 9 | 8 |
| Pooja Vastrakar | 3 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 7 | 6 |
| Amelia Kerr | 2 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 9 | 3 |
