Royal Challengers Bangalore – Women returned to winning ways on Monday (Mar 4) after UP Warriorz failed to chase down a daunting target of 199 in front of a packed M. Chinnaswamy crowd. RCB emerged victorious by 23 runs and climbed to third spot on the points table. 

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Riding on Perry’s 37-ball 58-run innings, RCB managed to put a record 198-run total on board after openers Sabbhineni Meghana and captain Smriti Mandhana shared a 50-run stand.

Mandhana was at her very best during the innings as she smashed 80 runs off only 50 balls, carting Warriorz bowlers for fun. She was given a reprieve early in the innings and made full use of it. 

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RCB had a great platform set but even so, the Warriorz were let down by the bowling effort in the last five overs where they conceded nearly 70 runs. 

During the chase, Warriorz largely remained on track before losing their way in the last bit. The opening pair of Alyssa Healey and Kiran Navgire came out of the blocks in fine fashion but the latter returned to the pavilion in the fifth over with the scoreboard reading 47. 

Chamari Athapaththu attempted to up the ante but she was adjudged LBW by the DRS in rather controversial circumstances. The ball by Wareham was a leg spin that struck  Athapaththu’s front pad but the Hawkeye showed it was a ‘doosra’ and that it was turning into the batter. 

Athapaththu’s dismissal turned out to be the turning point in the game and despite Healey’s rearguard action, Warriorz never managed to keep up with the chase. Deepti Sharma and Poonam Khemnar did hit some lusty blows at the back end but it proved too little, too late.

Speaking after the match, Mandhana reflected that pressure was on her team, having lost two games on the bounce but her side responded well. 

“We were under the pump after the last two games and we knew we had to get going today. Losing the toss didn’t help but there was a clear message to show intent straightaway. Everyone batted really well including Meghana at the top and then the bowlers came out and did their job,” said Mandhana who was also adjudged the Player of the Match. 

Playing XIs:

Royal Challengers Bangalore Women: Smriti Mandhana(c), Sophie Devine, Sabbhineni Meghana, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh(w), Sophie Molineux, Georgia Wareham, Ekta Bisht, Simran Bahadur, Asha Sobhana, Renuka Thakur Singh

UP Warriorz: Alyssa Healy(w/c), Kiran Navgire, Chamari Athapaththu, Grace Harris, Shweta Sehrawat, Deepti Sharma, Poonam Khemnar, Sophie Ecclestone, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Saima Thakor, Anjali Sarvani

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