Grace Harris delivered a stunning power-hitting performance, scoring an 85 off just 40 balls, leading Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a dominant nine-wicket victory over UP Warriorz in their Women’s Premier League match on Monday.
UP Warriorz recovered well from a dramatic collapse, posting 143/5 thanks to a brilliant rescue act by experienced all-rounders Deandra Dottin and Deepti Sharma.
Harris then smashed the fastest fifty of the season, reaching the mark in just 22 balls and ending her innings with 10 fours and five sixes.
This second consecutive win propelled the former champions to the top of the standings.
Captain Smriti Mandhana provided the perfect support with an elegant, unbeaten 47 from 32 balls, including nine boundaries, as they put
on a 137-run partnership, making it a one-sided contest.
RCB chased down the target in just 12.1 overs, significantly boosting their net run rate.
Chasing 144, Harris set the tone with a brutal powerplay assault that left UP Warriorz stunned. She launched into Deandra Dottin, scoring 32 runs in one over, effectively deciding the match.
The Australian began with a no-ball four, followed by three huge sixes and two more boundaries. Harris repeatedly cleared mid-wicket and mid-on with ease, reaching her half-century in no time.
The onslaught continued against leg-spinner Asha Sobhana, whom Harris hit for 17 runs in an over as RCB raced to 100 in just 7.5 overs, the second-fastest team hundred in WPL history.
Harris struck a wide full ball through the leg-side fence before hitting a massive 86-metre six over deep midwicket, her fourth maximum of the innings.
At the other end, Mandhana played with her usual grace and assurance, sealing the chase with Richa Ghosh after Harris’s departure with just seven runs needed.
Sent in to bat, UPW were 36 for 1 in the powerplay before losing four wickets in eight balls, collapsing to 50/5 in the ninth over.
From that precarious position, Dottin and Deepti built an unbroken 93-run stand from 72 balls to give their side something to defend.
Deepti anchored the innings with an unbeaten 45 off 35 balls, hitting five fours and a six, while Dottin contributed a fluent 40 not out from 37 balls, including three fours and a six.
The duo accelerated in the death overs, scoring 67 runs in the last six to bolster UPW’s total.
Dottin attacked off-spinner Shreyanka Patil with a boundary and a six in the 15th over, while Deepti hit Nadine de Klerk for a straight six in the penultimate over.
The final over yielded 15 runs, with Deepti hitting two fours off Shreyanka and Dottin adding another boundary.
UP Warriorz started cautiously with Lauren Bell bowling a tight opening spell, removing Harleen Deol for 11 (14 balls) and keeping the run rate under six an over.
Shreyanka was introduced in the final over of the powerplay and almost struck immediately when Meg Lanning edged to Arundhati Reddy, but replays showed the ball had brushed the turf.
Phoebe Litchfield then tried to gain momentum, hitting back-to-back boundaries and later a big switch-hit six over deep cover off Shreyanka.
But Shreyanka (2/50) had the final word in the same over, removing both Lanning (14) and Litchfield (20). Litchfield, who had raced to 20 off just nine balls, mistimed a shot and was caught by Mandhana at mid-on.
South African all-rounder Nadine de Klerk (2/28) then struck twice in an over, dismissing Kiran Navgire (5) and Shweta Sehrawat (0), triggering the collapse before Dottin and Deepti staged the recovery.
(With agency inputs)
