RCB bow out on a blaze of glory, prevailing in a high-octane thriller against MI

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru finished their WPL campaign on a positive note as they edged past Mumbai Indians in a high-octane thriller in the latter’s backyard. It was the season finale for RCB after a bit of a bumpy run this year and the team came together in a full-blown run-fest to keep their nerves until the end.

Winning the toss, RCB opted to bat first and had a feisty start, thanks to Sabbhineni Meghana’s early storm. She blasted 26 off just 13 balls, hammering four fours and a six. The opening partnership of Meghana and Smriti Mandhana added 41 runs before Hayley Matthews got the better of the former.

An incoming Ellyse Perry, who has always been the dominator-in-chief of the Mumbai Indians, joined forces with Smriti in the center. The duo looked in fine touch as Smriti spearheaded the battery with an excellent half-century. Her 53 off 37 balls played a key role in the partnership of two stalwarts of women’s cricket.

Up next for RCB was Richa Ghosh and she paired well with Ellyse Perry as the duo scored a handful of crucial runs at a very breezy rate. Ghosh clobbered 36 off 22 while Perry stayed unbeaten for 49 till the end. Despite the fall of Ghosh, Georgia Wareham took over the reins in her own hand and delivered a hard-hitting masterclass, racking up 31 off just 10 balls. At the end of their 20 overs, RCB piled up 199/3.

Sneh Rana’s early double whammy sent Hayley Matthews and Amelia Kerr packing as MI was jolted to a rude awakening while trying to shoot down a monumental total. A crucial partnership between Nat Sciver-Brunt (69) and Harmanpreet Kaur (20) stabilized the ship for Mumbai and offered them hope.

Despite the fall of Kaur, Nat continued the resistance and was the central figure of Mumbai’s resilience against a formidable RCB unit. Handy cameos from Amanjot Kaur (17) and Sajeevan Sajana (23) saw MI brimming with belief. However, the fall of Nat Sciver-Brunt opened up the gates for RCB to storm through and a landslide followed suit.

MI had an inconceivable landslide as they went from 129/3 to 167/8. Despite Sajeevan Sajana’s thrilling heroics in the final over, Ellyse Perry ensured that she is getting the better of the former in the penultimate ball of the innings. Trying to a pull a short ball from Ellyse Perry, she top edged it to Sabbhineni Meghana as MI fell short of the finish line by 11 runs. Sneh Rana was the Player of the Match for her excellent performance with the ball, chronicling figures of 3/26.