Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru, led by captain Smriti Mandhana, faced off against inaugural champions Mumbai Indians, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, in a thrilling clash to conclude the rivalry week of the WPL’s third edition. In a nail-biting finish, Mumbai Indians held their nerve to chase down the target in the final over, securing a hard-fought victory.
RCB’s pacer Kim Garth answered the questions of the press
Applauding Elyse Perry’s sensational innings, Garth said, “She batted beautifully today. She is the GOAT for a reason. I think she keeps churning out runs and the more pressure -that’s the better she seems to play, and it was really cool to be out there today with her when she was batting.”
On the wicket in Bangalore, Garth said there was probably a bit more pace and movement off the seam for the quicks. Compared to the second game in Baroda, it was a bit more batting-friendly and slightly flatter. The surface was quicker than the one used in the second game, but the short boundaries everywhere were not to her liking.
On the bowling plans, Garth said that she was not 100% sure but thought it was about rolling the dice a bit early, trying to get a few wickets during the middle overs, and breaking some key partnerships. She added that this approach meant some of their frontline bowlers had already bowled by the back end and suggested asking Mandhana for further clarification.
“I think Ekta Bisht bowled really well tonight, which was a big positive for us, but I think as a unit, we did quite well to bring the game to the 20th which was very pleasing.”
“Credit to Mumbai, I think they finished the game really well. But it was really good to see Georgia Wareham bowl. She bowled beautifully well tonight, which was really cool. I think she has improved so much over the last few years- and I think she takes a lot of confidence from her batting into her bowling and vice versa from her bowling into batting. I think she’s just constantly improving.”
“I think we’ve got some really good leg spinners in Australia and that pushes all the leg spinners to keep getting better and I think we’ve seen that with Wareham.”
Player of the Match Amanjot Kaur answered the questions of the press on behalf of the Mumbai Indians.
Amanjot Kaur shared how Harmanpreet Kaur’s words reassured her, saying that as long as she was at the crease, things would fall into place.
The all-rounder emphasized her focus on maintaining momentum and finishing games for her teams in future as well. Knowing that either Ekta Bisht or a new bowler would be brought in, she was determined not to stretch the match to the final over, aiming instead to wrap it up in the 19th over or take it to a run-a-ball scenario.
She was aware that they needed either four boundaries or two sixes and wanted to take charge and complete the game herself. Defensively, the team ensured they didn’t leak runs and kept the pressure on, with the wicket offering excellent conditions for batting.
Returning from injury, Amanjot jumped straight into the Challengers Trophy before heading into the WPL camp, understanding that she had to take on additional responsibility due to Pooja Vastrakar’s absence. Her crucial partnership with Harmanpreet played a key role in shifting the game in their favor. She also praised the confidence of the Under-19 talent, highlighting G Kamini’s composure. Reflecting on her injury layoff, she admitted that such phases are always tough to go through.
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