Mumbai Indians, led by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, searching for a complete team performance, were up against the table-toppers Royal Challengers Bengaluru, led by skipper Smriti Mandhana, who suffered their first defeat of the season in their previous game against Delhi Capitals. The 4th season approaches the business end of the league stages of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) as the battle for the remaining two slots intensifies.
RCB retained the same side, while the Mumbai Indians made one change courtesy of an injury to Nicola Carey; Amelia Kerr made her way back into the side. The opening combination of Sajeevan Sajana and Hayley Matthews didn’t work out as expected, as they lost Sajana in the 3rd over of the innings after skipper Smriti Mandhana won the toss and opted to bowl first.
Nat Sciver-Brunt joined Hayley Matthews at the crease, and the duo took their side into a commanding position with a mammoth partnership for the 2nd wicket. Hayley Matthews registered her maiden half-century in the ongoing 4th edition of the tournament. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (20 off 12 balls) provided the finishing touches as the Mumbai Indians posted a massive total of 199/4 in their 20-over quota. The WPL finally found its first centurion in the form of the Mumbai Indians all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt.
Lauren Bell (4-0-21-2) was the standout performer with the ball on a high-scoring day. Nadine de Klerk (4-0-40-1) and Shreyanka Patil (3-0-34-1) picked up a wicket each with the ball for RCB. Chasing a target of 200, Grace Harris (15 off 9 balls) provided RCB with a flying start alongside skipper Smriti Mandhana, scoring 20 runs in the first couple of overs. Shabnim Ismail provided the first breakthrough by sending Grace Harris back to the pavilion in the 3rd over of the innings to provide the first breakthrough for her side.
The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side came roaring back into the contest, reducing RCB to 35/5 inside the powerplay. The likes of Nadine de Klerk (28 off 20 balls) and Arundhati Reddy (14 off 18 balls) kept the fight on with crucial contributions with the bat for their side. However, the destructive Indian wicket-keeper batter Richa Ghosh unleashed her beast mode on to almost pull off one of the potentially remarkable heists in the history of the competition. However, RCB eventually fell 15 runs short of the target. Nat Sciver-Brunt was awarded the Player of the Match as the Mumbai Indians kept their campaign alive in the ongoing edition of the tournament.
Top Performers: Match 15: Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Hayley Matthews
The West Indian skipper Hayley Matthews was finally able to convert her promising starts this season into a substantial knock. She lost her opening partner, Sajeevan Sajana, early after being inserted to bat first by the opposition skipper, Smriti Mandhana. She was joined by ever so consistent Nat Sciver-Brunt in the 3rd over of the innings. The duo not only led the recovery but also took them to a dominant position with a massive 131-run partnership for the 2nd wicket. Hayley Matthews (56 off 39 balls) registered her maiden half-century in the ongoing edition of the tournament before being cleaned up by Lauren Bell in the 15th over of the innings. Her knock included 9 boundaries.
Besides her contributions with the bat, she also returned with an outstanding spell (2-0-10-3) with the ball, accounting for the scalps of the opposition skipper Smriti Mandhana (6 off 7 balls), who yet again fell to an off spinner in the format. She also dismissed Georgia Voll and Radha Yadav, triggering a collapse and leaving a huge dent on RCB’s hopes in the run-chase.
Nat Sciver-Brunt
The England skipper and a prolific all-rounder for Mumbai Indians over the years, Nat Sciver-Brunt, was at her fluent best right from ball one, taking the attack to the RCB bowlers with utmost clarity and disdain at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara. Coming to bat in the 3rd over of the innings after the early departure of Sajeevan Sajana. She stitched a massive 131-run partnership for the 2nd wicket alongside Hayley Matthews to take the Mumbai Indians into a dominant position. It was followed by a quick-fire 42-run partnership for the 3rd wicket alongside skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (20 off 12 balls) to push the total closer to the 200-run mark. The WPL finally found it’s first-ever centurion in the history of the tournament in the form of Nat Sciver-Brunt (100* off 57 balls).
She has also claimed the orange cap as currently the leading run-scorer of the season with 319 runs at a strike rate of 154.85 and an average of 79.85 in six innings, including 3 half-centuries and a century in 6 matches with the bat for her side in the ongoing edition of the tournament so far. She is also the overall leading run-scorer in the history of the WPL, with 1,346 runs at a strike rate of 144.73 and an average of 51.76 in 35 innings, including 11 half-centuries and a century in 35 matches with the bat for her side in the tournament so far. She is also the first batter to breach the 300-run mark in three different WPL seasons so far.
Lauren Bell
The tall, young 25-year-old pacer from England, Lauren Bell, is having a dream debut season in the WPL, representing Royal Challengers Bengaluru. In the game against Mumbai Indians, while most of the other Mumbai bowlers were smashed left, right and center all-round the park at the Kotambi Stadium. Lauren Bell yet again delivered a stand-out spell, returning with sensational match figures of 4-0-21-2, accounting for the big scalps of both Mumbai Indians openers Sajeevan Sajana and Hayley Matthews in her spell with the ball for her side. She is also currently the joint leading wicket-taker for RCB alongside Nadine De Klerk and the joint 3rd highest wicket-taker in the ongoing edition of the tournament, with 11 wickets at an average of 14.45 and an economy of 5.67.
Richa Ghosh
The Smriti Mandhana-led side found themselves in deep trouble at 31/4, chasing a stiff total of 200, after opting to bowl first. The wicket-keeper batter Richa Ghosh joined Radha Yadav at the crease in the 5th over of the run chase. The RCB were reduced to 35/5 with the departure of Radha Yadav in the final over of the powerplay. She was joined by the crisis woman, Nadine de Klerk (28 off 20 balls), at the crease, and the duo steadied the ship with a much-needed 42-run partnership for the 6th wicket. It was followed by another vital 52-run partnership for the 7th wicket alongside Arundhati Reddy (14 off 18 balls), which also took them closer to the 130-run mark, just about keeping RCB in the hunt in the run chase.
Shreyanka Patil joining hands alongside Richa Ghosh infused hope for the RCB fans as Richa smashed Amanjot Kaur for three consecutive maximums, which was followed by a couple of boundaries by Shreyanka Patil to cap off the 19th over, which went for 27 runs. Richa Ghosh (90 off 50 balls) switching to beast mode almost pulled off a heroic heist for RCB with an unbeaten 55-run stand for the 9th wicket. However, it wasn’t to be as they fell just 15 runs short of the target after losing half of their side inside the powerplay in the run chase. Richa Ghosh’s knock included 10 boundaries and 6 maximums.
Mumbai Indians climbed to the 2nd spot with 6 points from 7 games, including 3 victories. The result also meant that the Smriti Mandhana-led side is yet to seal their top spot in the league stages to secure a direct berth into the final of the ongoing 4th edition of the tournament.
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