WPL 2024: Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry Fifties Set Up RCB's Victory Over UPW

#WPL2024 | Riding on Smriti Mandhana's and Ellyse Perry's half centuries, #RCB beat #UPW by 23 runs.

Royal Challengers Bangalore players wave to crowds during match eleven of the Women’s Premier League 2024 between UP Warriorz and Royal Challengers Bangalore held at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on the 4th March 2024

Image: BCCI

Skipper Smriti Mandhana and Ellyse Perry hammered half-centuries and their bowlers came up with a clinical performance as Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated UP Warriorz by 23 runs in a Season 2 match of the Women's Premier League (WPL) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Monday.

Put in to bat first, Mandhaha blasted 80 off 50 balls, studded with 10 boundaries and three sixes while Perry struck a 37-ball of 58, hitting four boundaries and an equal number of sixes as Royal Challengers Bangalore posted 198/3 in 20 overs.

In response, UP Warriorz made a good start but despite a half-century by Alyssa Healy (55 off 38, 7x4, 3x6), a 22-ball 33 by Deepti Sharma and 31 off 24 balls by Poonam Khemnar could manage only 175/8 in 20 overs, falling short by 23 runs.

With this win, RCB moved up to six points, the same as Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians but were placed third in the table on Net Run Rate. UP Warriorz slumped to their third defeat in five matches.

Royal Challengers Bangalore players take a victory lap during match eleven of the Women’s Premier League 2024 between UP Warriorz and Royal Challengers Bangalore held at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on 4 March 2024.

Image: BCCI

Asked to bat first after Warriorz won the toss, RCB got off to a superb start as Mandhana and Sabbhineni Meghana raised 51 runs for the opening wicket in the sixth over before Meghana fell, caught by Chamari Athapaththu off Anjali Sarvani for 28.

Mandhana, who was dropped by Athapaththu when at 29 and also survived a stumping chance, struck a six each off Athapaththu and Rajeshwari Gayakwad and hit Deepti Sharma for a four as she completed her half-century off 34 balls.

Ellyse Perry of Royal Challengers Bangalore hits over the top for six which hits the Punch.ev car during match eleven of the Women’s Premier League 2024 between UP Warriorz and Royal Challengers Bangalore held at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on 4 March 2024

Image: BCCI

Mandhana continued her onslaught as she hammered the Sri Lankan all-rounder for three boundaries in the 15th over, two of them back-to-back. In the next over, she meted out the same threat by hitting K Anjali Savani for three fours in an over, two fours off successive deliveries -- the second one going into the boundary off Sophie Ecclestone's grasp as the RCB skipper lived a charmed life.

She raised 96 runs for the second wicket with Ellyse Perry, who started her innings with a four off Sarvani and also hammered Gayakwad for back-to-back sixes in the 18th over. She also struck Deepti Sharma for a big six before falling to Ecclestone off the first ball of the final over.

Chasing 199, UP Warriorz got off to a good start as Alyssa Healy and Kiran Navgire raised 47 runs for the first wicket. However, Chamari Athapaththu (8), Grace Harris (5) and Shweta Sehrawat (1) fell cheaply as UP slumped to 89/4 at the midway stage. And when Healy was out for 55, the Warriorz were 113/5 in the 13th over and in deep trouble. Deepti Sharma and Poonam Khemnar kept the fight going but, in the end, their efforts proved futile as the task was too onerous.

For RCB. Sophie Devine, Sophie Molineux, Georgia Wareham and Asha Sobhana claimed two wickets each.