Royal Challengers Bangalore’s hunt for their maiden Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2023 victory proved to be an exercise in futility for the fourth consecutive time, as they suffered a ten-wicket victory against UP Warriorz, here at the Brabourne Stadium. After bowling Smriti Mandhana’s team out for a paltry score of 138 runs, Alyssa Healy’s Warriorz chased the total down with great equanimity, in only 13 overs.
Mandhana opted to bat first after winning the toss, and her team did manage to get off to a decent start as the first three overs produced 29 runs. However, the introduction of Rajeshwari Gayakwad resulted in the RCB skipper’s dismissal in the fourth over.
Despite losing the leader, Sophie Devine and Ellyse Perry utilised their wealth of experience to not only prevent a collapse, but also ensure the scoring rate keeps ticking. The powerplay yielded 54 runs, whilst the next couple of overs saw 19 runs being added to the team’s tally.
However, Devine was bowled by Sophie Ecclestone in the 9th over, with the dismissal proving to be a game-turning point. Kanika Ahuja could contribute only eight runs to her team’s cause before falling prey to Deepti, whilst a mix-up between Perry and Heather Knight brought about the latter’s downfall.
Shreyanka Patil, one of Bangalore’s rare sources of optimism this season, played a quickfire 15, while after a few subdued exhibitions, Perry was seen at her best as she took all but 35 deliveries to complete her half-century.
At 114/4 after 14 overs, it seemed that Bangalore were on course to breach the 160-run mark, only to experience another batting disintegration soon after.
Patil and Perry were dismissed in a spall of 11 deliveries, whilst none of the other batters could offer any resilience. Ecclestone ended up completing a four-fer, with Deepti supporting her with a three-wicket haul.
Aggressor Healy, Anchor Devika Guide UP Warriorz to Victory
The Warriorz had an excellent start to the chase, with Healy and Devika Vaidya taking the attack to Komal Zanzad – the 31-year-old medium-pacer who was making her WPL debut. 55 runs were scored in the powerplay, of which 38 came from the skipper’s willow alone.
The introduction of Perry and Knight into the attack did not produce the effect Smriti would have hoped for, as the UP openers continued playing their natural game – Healy being the aggressor and Devika being the anchor.
The 100-run mark was crossed in the 10th over itself, while it took the pair just three more overs to chase the total down, and subsequently, secure their second victory of the season.
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