Smriti Mandhana and Ellyse Perry power RCB-W back to winning ways

The Royal Challengers Bangalore Women finally returned to winning ways and that too in clinical fashion as an all-round display seized the fate of the contest for Smriti Mandhana and company. Winning the toss, UP Warriorz opted to bowl first.

Much unlike the last game though, the RCB-W were in a different headspace altogether and glimpses of a shift in mindset were visible right from the word go. Smriti Mandhana came out all guns blazing while a change in the batting order worked out wonders for the women in Red and Gold.

Pairing alongside Sabbhineni Meghana, Mandhana blitzed the Warriorz relentlessly. Meghana got off to a feisty start as well but fell for a well-orchestrated 28 while the skipper was joined by Ellyse Perry in the center.

Pez continued anchoring an end while Mandhana was at her sizzling best at the other. The duo added 95 runs for the second wicket from just 66 balls where Mandhana blasted 80 before Deepti Sharma eventually got the better of her. The removal of the RCB captain introduced Richa Ghosh into the mix and from thereon, it was the UP bowlers scurrying for shelter in the midst of raining boundaries at Chinnaswamy.

It was during the third wicket stand that the fans had their mind-blown as Perry entered destruction mode. She would dance down the track and take the bowlers to the cleaners with a smile on her face. In one of those momentous strikes, she cracked open the glass of the car that will be awarded to the Player of the Tournament.

At the end of 20 overs, RCB-W managed to hammer home 198/3, their highest total in the glistening antiquity of WPL. Perry fell just short of the final hurdle for a 37-ball-58 while Richa Ghosh stayed unbeaten for a 10-ball-21.

Keeping in mind the sheer magnitude of the target, UP Warriorz started on a rollicking note. Alyssa Healy brought her A-game while Kiran Nagvire had no intentions of sitting back and defending.

The duo added 47 runs for the opening stand with Healy being the aggressor while Nagvire played the perfect two to tango. It was Sophie Devine who got the first breakthrough for RCB, claiming Nagvire. A length ball outside off-stump was skied and Georgia Wareham made no mistake in snaffling that up.

The Sri Lankan skipper, Chamari Athapaththu couldn’t add much either as Wolfie struck again, this time with the ball in her hands. An incredible turner from Wolfie pitching on the leg stump struck the southpaw on the pads and removed her.

Things aggravated further for the UP Warriorz as Devine struck again. Richa Ghosh pulled off an absolute blinder behind the stumps as Grace Harris’ miscued scoop proved to be her unravelling, leaving UP wobbling. Asha Sobhana returned to wickets too as she claimed her sixth wicket against the Warriorz and it was the turn for Shweta Sehrawat to return to the pavilion.

After a long stay in the center, Alyssa Healy’s resolve finally snapped as Sophie Molineux managed to leave her foxed and Ghosh was quick to pounce upon the stumping, dismissing her for a warring 55.

Deepti Sharma (33) and Poonam Khemnar (31) started fighting back but the pressure of the leaping asking rate was too much for them to adapt and RCB managed to sneak in, eventually prying the floodgates open. Sobhana forced Sharma into a miscued hit and eventually claimed the catch too.

Sophie Ecclestone fell in quick succession as well as Wareham completely misjudged the flight and what would have been a straight forward hoick into the V ended up with her stumps rattled after a botched up sweeping attempt. Molineux hammered the final nail in the coffin, dealing the finishing touch with the wicket of Poonam Khemnar whose wild slash ended up with her timbre devastated.

Smriti Mandhana won the Player of the Match award for her excellent 80 while RCB-W leapfrogged UP Warriorz into the third position of the points table as the Bengaluru-leg of WPL came to an end.