MI’s Harmanpreet Kaur, plays a shot, during the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025 match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Mumbai Indians (MI), M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru on February 21, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Murali Kumar
The Garden City rarely misses an opportunity to turn up in numbers for a Women’s Premier League match. And so it did on Friday, filling the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium to the brim. Unfortunately, it had to return home disappointed as its beloved Royal Challengers Bengaluru lost to Mumbai Indians by four wickets.
An Ellyse Perry special (81, 43b, 11×4, 2×6) had carried RCB to a competitive 167 for seven but MI, via Nat Sciver-Brunt’s scorching 42 (21b, 9×4), captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s part-sedate, part-aggressive 50 (38b, 8×4, 1×6) and Amanjot Kaur’s first-rate finishing act (34 n.o., 27b, 2×4, 2×6) handed RCB its first loss in three games.
Sciver-Brunt set the PowerPlay overs on fire before Harmanpreet and Amanjot brought the equation down to 24 off 18. Tweaker Georgia Wareham nearly turned the game on its head by removing Harmanpreet and Sajana Sajeevan off back-to-back deliveries.
But with 22 required off 12, Amanjot smoked Kanika Ahuja for two sixes before the nerveless G. Kamalini, all of 16, brought MI its second win from three matches with a fiercely driven four off the penultimate ball.
Earlier, after RCB was asked to bat first, Perry blossomed even as those around her withered. Skipper Smriti Mandhana started superbly (26, 13b, 4×4, 1×6), pulling and cutting Shabnim Ismail and Sciver-Brunt in expert fashion. But a miscued hoick in the third over off Shabnam ended her stay, and from 29 for one, RCB fell to 57 for four.
However, a fine 50-run partnership between Perry and Richa Ghosh (28, 25b, 3×4, 1×6) resurrected the RCB innings and the duo ensured the home side accumulated 105 runs from overs 10 to 20.
Perry was solid on the leg-side, planting her foot and smashing everything in sight. The gorgeous boundary over extra cover off Amelia Kerr that she executed to get to her half-century showed her all-round batting ability. But even her best couldn’t save the day for RCB.
Published – February 22, 2025 03:33 am IST