Royal Challengers Bengaluru might have lost to Mumbai Indians by 15 runs on Monday, but it wasn’t before registering a neat historic first in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), which can also be seen as a sign
of their determination and why they are favorites to win the title.
By scoring 184/9 in response to MI’s 199/4 in the first innings, they became the first team in the history of the competition to go past the 150-run mark despite losing the first five wickets for less than 50 runs. The 2024 champions were 35/5 in 5.1 overs, which even became 77/6, but Richa Ghosh’s 90 off just 50 balls and crucial contributions from the lower order got them closer to the target that many may have expected.
Earlier, Mumbai Indians had laid the platform for the daunting total through a commanding batting display led by Nat Sciver-Brunt, who etched her name into the record books with the first century (100 off 57_ in the history of the WPL. Walking in after an early breakthrough, the England all-rounder combined composure with controlled aggression to steer the innings through all phases.
She found an able ally in Hayley Matthews (56 off 39), who complemented her partner with fluent strokeplay and sharp running between the wickets. The pair steadily shifted momentum during the middle overs, before launching a sustained assault that left the RCB bowlers scrambling for answers.
Matthews struck nine boundaries in a brisk half-century before falling, but Sciver-Brunt batted through to ensure Mumbai finished strongly.
Defending the total, Mumbai struck decisively with the new ball as Matthews made an immediate impact, dismissing Smriti Mandhana and Georgia Voll in the same over to reduce RCB to early trouble. Shabnim Ismail provided further breakthroughs with her pace, removing Grace Harris before later cleaning up Gautami Naik, while also contributing with an athletic catch in the deep.
Even as wickets fell at regular intervals, the visitors struggled to close out the contest as Ghosh launched a stunning counterattack. She targeted both seam and spin, forcing Mumbai to adjust their fields repeatedly and pushing the chase deep into the final overs. Amanjot Kaur endured a particularly difficult penultimate spell as Ghosh collected three successive sixes, briefly raising hopes of an improbable finish.
However, Mumbai held their nerve at the death to seal a vital victory, climbing to second on the points table with six points from seven matches and strengthening their push for a playoff berth.
