RCB-W go down fighting against Mumbai Indians in penultimate home game

It was not one of the finest nights for Royal Challengers Bangalore women as they suffered their second straight defeat of the ongoing WPL 2024. It was an important clash against Mumbai Indians and a shaky start with the bat left the hosts reeling.

Winning the toss, Smriti Mandhana opted to bat first. However, the start to the innings begged quite a few question marks with the captain to depart first. Issy Wong got the better of Mandhana for 9 while Nat Sciver-Brunt got rid of Sabbhineni Meghana for 11.

To make matters worse, Saika Ishaque got the better of Sophie Devine for 9, leaving RCB-W tottering. Not long after, Richa Ghosh fell for 7, intensifying the cross-currents for the hosts.

However, it was one of the finest in the world who came to the deliverance of RCB-W in the form of Ellyse Perry. Despite wickets tumbling at the other end, Pez continued with her war of resilience and managed to stay unbeaten till the very end, smashing 44 from 38 balls.

She finally found some support from Georgia Wareham who knitted together a fine 27 from 20 balls, an innings that starred three fours. A 52-run stand between Wareham and Perry helped RCB-W to stabilize the ship and took them to a fighting 131.

Chasing the total, Mumbai Indians got off to a flying start as Yastika Bhatia blasted a 15-ball 31 while Hayley Matthews stayed at the other end, bolstering the grip on the chase. Sophie Devine landed the big wicket of Yastika Bhatia while Shreyanka Patil claimed Matthews for 26.

The Indians skipper for the night, Nat Sciver-Brunt scored 25 but it was Amelia Kerr who shined bright with a 24-ball-40 to seize the fate of the game. With this defeat, RCB-W suffered a massive blow to their aspirations as they slumped down to the fourth position of the points table. They return to action on Monday with a contest against UP Warriorz.