Mumbai Indians secured their third win of the season on the back of explosive knocks from Amelia Kerr and Yastika Bhatia by defeating Royal Challengers Bangalore with a seven-wicket victory at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. This win propelled them to the top of the points table, accumulating six points from four matches. Conversely, Royal Challengers Bangalore faced their second loss in a row and their third defeat in three WPL matches against the Mumbai Indians.
Royal Challengers Bangalore managed to score a relatively low total of 131/6, a situation that could have been worse if not for Perry’s unbeaten 44 on a challenging pitch. However, as the match progressed and the innings switched, the pitch at the Chinnaswamy Stadium improved, facilitating a smoother play. This change in conditions perfectly suited Mumbai Indians, who, driven by Amelia Kerr‘s performance, easily reached the target in the 16th over.
Shaky start for the RCB
RCB experienced a shaky beginning to their innings, especially given the trend in the tournament that has seen the team batting second often coming out on top. With the responsibility on captain Smriti Mandhana to anchor the innings, her early dismissal to a miss-hit off Issy Wong’s bowling in the third over was a setback. Mandhana tried to go up and over the field but only managed to slice it to the cover fielder.
Nat Sciver-Brunt, who was leading the team in Harmanpreet Kaur’s absence, made quick work of dismissing Sabbhineni Meghana with a quick bumper. Following this, Saika Ishaque claimed the all-important wicket of Sophie Devine through an LBW, further dampening RCB’s start. By the end of the powerplay, RCB was reeling at 34/3. The Mumbai Indians were top-notch with their fielding and kept the RCB batters under pressure.
Ellyse Perry’s Rescue Act
Pooja Vastrakar claimed the wickets of Richa Ghosh and Sophie Molineux in quick succession as RCB were in trouble waters losing half a side with just 71 on the board. However, a pivotal partnership started between Ellyse Perry and Georgia Wareham, injecting a much-needed recovery during the middle overs.
Despite Perry not being at her physical best, as revealed by the RCB skipper Mandhana later, she managed to score a resilient unbeaten 44 off 38 deliveries. Wareham contributed significantly as well, with a quickfire 27 off 20 balls. Their efforts provided a much-needed boost to the innings.
Nat Sciver-Brunt eventually dismissed Wareham, curtailing the partnership, but the duo’s collaboration had already laid the groundwork for a competitive total. Nonetheless, RCB would later reflect on the final four overs with some regret, as they could only muster 25 runs during this crucial phase, missing an opportunity to post a more daunting target.
MI’s Dominant Chase, Bhatia’s Quickfire Start
Mumbai Indians got off to a blazing start in their chase, largely thanks to Yastika Bhatia’s quickfire 31 off just 15 balls. Her aggressive innings not only ensured MI won the powerplay in what was a relatively modest chase but also provided them with a significant advantage early on. The RCB bowlers struggled with their line and lengths offering too much width at times or bowling it short.
Bhatia’s opening partner Hayley Mathews too looked at her best touch so far in this season as Mumbai Indians raced to 37 in just 3 overs. Bhatia continued to attack smashed a couple of boundaries and eventually got out chasing a wide delivery going away from her. Shreyanka Patil, who had a rather underwhelming tournament in the field dropping some sitters made an acrobatic save to deny a six for Hayley Mathews. Coming into bowl a couple of overs later she got the better of the Windies’ skipper who hit one straight into the hands of extra-cover.
Amelia Kerr’s Knock Propels Mumbai to Victory
Nat Sciver-Brunt contributed a steady 27 off 25 deliveries, but it was Amelia Kerr’s unbeaten knock of 40 runs from 24 balls that truly put Royal Challengers Bangalore on the back foot. Amelia Kerr’s innings, which included seven boundaries, exerted immense pressure on RCB’s bowling attack and ensured that the chase was completed with a remarkable 4.5 overs to spare. Amelia Kerr’s aggressive batting approach not only accelerated the run rate but also effectively sealed the victory for Mumbai Indians.
The RCB will face the inform UP Warriorz in their next fixture which will be their final home game and will face the Gujarat Giants a day after. RCB will be looking to take the positives from the two losses and will look to bounce back in their next matches which would decide their fate in the tournament going forward. On the other hand, Mumbai have a 2-day break before they move to Delhi and will lock horns with the Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
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