Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated UP Warriorz by 23 runs on Monday to claim the third victory of the 2024 Women’s Premier League. This victory was capped off by brilliant fifties from Smriti Mandhana and Ellyse Perry and an all-around performance by the bowlers.
Mandhana led from the front on Monday with a stunning 50-ball 80, but the RCB campaign faltered after consecutive home losses to the Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians.As RCB reached their greatest WPL total of 198 for three, Perry also scored an incredible 58 off just 37 balls.
Warriorz responded by losing their third straight game at 175 for 8, despite Alyssa Healy hitting a strong fifty but receiving no assistance from the other end.
The WPL‘s Bengaluru leg came to an end with this match; starting on Tuesday, the caravan will travel to New Delhi.
However, after pacer Renuka Singh had maimed an RCB bowling in the opening over, the visitors had a brilliant start to their innings, scoring 47 in just 4.2 overs thanks to the exploits of Healy and Kiran Navgire.
As It Was Healy launched the run glut with two consecutive sixes from pacer Sophie Devine in the second over, and he continued to hit Renuka for 24 runs in the next over, with Navgire joining in the fun with a four and a six.
However, that collaboration came to an end when Devine fired Navgire, which decreased the run-collection pace.
The UP batsmen had to try for huge strokes because to the increasing asking rate, as they lost Chamari Athapathuthu (8), the in-form Grace Harris (5), and Shweta Sehrawat (1) while amassing 26 runs between the seventh and tenth over.
After 10 overs, with the UP side at 90 for 4, Healy had the full onus of leading the team past the goal, and she made a valiant effort with a 34-ball fifty.
However, Healy was unable to hit a tossed-up ball on middle and leg, and Richa Ghosh completed the task behind the stumps, forcing left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux to end her tenure.
Poonam Khemnar (31, 24b) and Deepti Sharma (33, 22b) scored 41 runs for the sixth wicket, but they had too many runs to reduce.
Earlier, RCB elevated S Meghana as the opener in place of Devine in an attempt to snap a two-match losing record, and the move proved successful.
The hosts finished the Power Play at 57 for 1, their highest score in WPL 2, when Meghana and Mandhana combined to score 51 runs in 5.3 overs to provide RCB a solid foundation.
When twin barrel shooting caused the UP bowlers to wilt, Mandhana and Perry made the most of that start.
The left-hander handled spinners with contempt and played strokes all over the field with incredible timing. She will feel much more confident as a result, since she frequently brushes up against the tweakers.