We witnessed power-packed action, nail-biting thrillers, high-scoring games, controversies and almost everything that the fans could have dreamt of in the Vadodara leg of the ongoing 3rd edition of the Women’s Premier League 2025. The WPL action now moves onto the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
The defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru led by skipper Smriti Mandhana were up against the inaugural champions Mumbai Indians led by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur to sign off the rivalry week in the 3rd edition of the WPL.
Mandhana, Ghosh, and Perry lead with the bat to power RCB post 167
Skipper Smriti Mandhana (26 off 13 balls) gave the home side a blazing start after Mumbai skipper Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and inserted them to bat first. Shabnim Ismail picked up the big scalp of the opposition skipper to provide the much-needed first breakthrough for Mumbai Indians, just the opening the visitors needed. The Mumbai bowlers pounced on it and reduced the home side to 57/4 in the 8th over of the innings.
Wicket-keeper batter Richa Ghosh joined Ellyse Perry at the crease and the duo led the recovery, taking their side past the 100-run mark with a much-needed 50-run partnership for the 5th wicket. Amanjot Kaur delivered on her skipper’s call by cleaning up the dangerous wicket-keeper batter Richa Ghosh (28 off 25 balls) in the 14th over of the innings to provide the 5th breakthrough for her side.
Ellyse Perry switched gears and catapulted Bengaluru’s total closer to the 170-run mark, posting 167/7 in their quota of 20 overs. Ellyse Perry (81 off 43 balls) notched up her career-best score in the WPL. Her knock included 11 boundaries and a couple of maximums. Amanjot Kaur (3-0-22-3) was the star performer with the ball, Shabnim Ismail (4-0-36-1) picked up the big wicket of Smriti Mandhana, and Sanskriti Gupta (1-0-3-1) picked up the wicket of Kanika Ahuja in her spell.
Amanjot Kaur and Harmanpreet Kaur deliver a comprehensive 4-wicket win
Mumbai Indians lost the wicket of their wicket-keeper batter Yastika Bhatia in the 2nd over of the run chase of 168. Nat Sciver-Brunt joined Hayley Matthews, and the duo stitched a much-needed 57-run partnership for the 2nd wicket. Ekta Bisht broke the ominous stand by removing Hayley Matthews (15 off 10 balls) on the final ball of the powerplay. Courtesy of a counterattack from the pair, they capitalised on the powerplay, scoring at a rate of 11 runs per over.
Kim Garth cleaned up the in-form Nat Sciver-Brunt (42 off 21 balls) to provide the much-needed breakthrough for the home side in the 8th over of the run chase. Amelia Kerr soon followed her back to the pavilion to provide the 4th breakthrough for the Smriti Mandhana-led side. Amanjot Kaur, who had a great day with the ball, joined skipper Harmanpreet Kaur at the crease and the duo took their side into a comfortable position in the run chase with another crucial 62-run partnership for the 5th wicket. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur completed her 6th WPL half-century before getting dismissed (50 off 38 balls) towards the business end of the run chase in the 18th over of the innings.
The 16-year-old young sensation G Kamalini (11* off 8 balls) smashed the winning runs in the reliable company of Amanjot Kaur (34* off 27 balls), who held her nerve post the departure of skipper Harmanpreet Kaur to see her side over the line, with four wickets in hand and one ball to spare. Georgia Wareham (4-1-21-3) was the stand-out performer with the ball for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, while Kim Garth (4-0-30-2) played her part with the ball for her side.
Amanjot Kaur was awarded the Player of the Match for her impactful all-round show, returning with game-changing match figures of 3-0-23-3 in her spell with the ball, and she followed that up with a calm and composed innings of 34* off 27 balls with the bat to guide her side over the line as the Harmanpreet Kaur-led Mumbai Indians climb to the 2nd spot with back-to-back victories in the ongoing 3rd edition of the tournament.
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