Bangalore, who had suffered an agonising one-run defeat against DC in their previous game, left nothing to chance this time and romped to victory.
Four overs. Six wickets. One devastating spell. Ellyse Perry produced the best bowling figures in Women’s Premier League history to help Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Mumbai Indians by seven wickets and reach the playoffs in Delhi on Tuesday. The star Australian all-rounder kept knocking the stumps over and in the process, ensured UP Warriorz and Gujarat Giants were knocked out of contention.
Royal Challengers Bangalore Women’s (RCBW) Ellyse Perry and teammates celebrate a dismissal of Mumbai Indians Women (MIW) during their match in the Women’s Premier League 2024 (WPL-X)
Heading into the game, only defending champions MI and Delhi Capitals had secured their spot in the playoffs. A win would’ve been enough to take RCB through, while UPW and GG needed Smriti Mandhana and Co to suffer a heavy defeat in order to have a chance.
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However, Bangalore, who had suffered an agonising one-run defeat against DC in their previous game, left nothing to chance this time and romped to victory. Opting to bowl first, they wrapped up the MI innings for 113 runs as Perry returned with sensational figures of 6/15. And in the reply, too, it was Perry’s unbeaten 76-run stand with Richa Ghosh that took RCB to 115/5 in 15 overs.
Mumbai were off to a promising start with the bat as openers Hayley Matthews and S Sajana added a 43-run partnership. But the innings unravelled soon after as Perry delivered a masterclass in seam bowling.
The right-arm pacer had taken a superb catch in the deep to dismiss Matthews, before conceding just two runs in her first over. From there, her remaining three overs produced two wickets each as MI lost their last nine wickets for a mere 48 runs.
Perry, who hadn’t picked a single wicket in her four previous outings with the ball in the tournament, kept attacking the stumps and nipping the ball both ways. Sajana, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, Amanjot Kaur and Pooja Vastrakar were clean bowled by the 33-year-old, while Amelia Kerr and Natalie Sciver-Brunt were trapped leg before.
Bangalore lost openers Mandhana and Sophie Molineux early before Sophie Devine fell right after the powerplay. As Mumbai tried to ramp up the pressure, though, Perry and Ghosh remained firm and increased the scoring rate gradually. The right-handers hit nine fours and three sixes between them to book RCB’s spot in the Eliminator.
