UPW vs RCB: What happened in yesterday’s match at WPL 2024?
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) beat UP Warriorz (UPW) by 23 runs in yesterday’s Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 game at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Sent into bat by UPW, RCB came up with an excellent batting show to post 198-3, with captain Smriti Mandhana smashing 80 off 50, while Ellyse Perry contributed 58 off 37. Bangalore’s bowlers then combined to restrict UPW to 175-8.
Mandhana and Sabbhineni Meghana (28 off 21) got RCB off to a terrific start, adding 51 for the opening wicket in 5.3 overs. Boundaries kept flowing from both ends before Meghana miscued a hard length delivery from Anjali Sarvani. Perry and Mandhana kept the momentum going, adding 95 for the second wicket.
After crossing her half-century, Mandhana clubbed Chamari Athapaththu for three fours in the 15th over. Three more boundaries came off her bat in the next over bowled by Sarvani.
The RCB captain's brilliant knock came to an end when she holed out to deep midwicket off Deepti Sharma. Perry and Richa Ghosh (21 off 10) then combined to smack Rajeshwari Gayakwad for three sixes in the 18th over.
With another maximum off Deepti in the penultimate over, Perry smashed the window of a display car. Her fine knock ended when she holed out to deep midwicket off Sophie Ecclestone in the last over as RCB ended just short of 200.
UPW held to 175-8 despite Healy fifty
Chasing 199, UP Warriorz got off to a cracking start, with captain Alyssa Healy (55 off 38) and Kiran Navgire (18 off 11) adding 47 for the first wicket in 4.2 overs. After a flurry of big hits, Navgire fell to Sophie Devine, getting the toe end to an attempted big hit.
Athapaththu (8) was then dismissed in a controversial fashion. After RCB reviewed a not out decision for lbw, ball tracking showed a delivery from Georgia Wareham hitting the stumps - turning in the opposite direction to what a conventional leg-spinner would.
UPW suffered another big blow in their chase when Grace Harris (5) was caught behind off Devine, looking to scoop a slower ball that was full in length. Healy kept the fight alive for her side, hammering Wareham for three consecutive fours in the ninth over even as Shweta Sehrawat (1) chipped one from Asha Sobhana to cover point.
Healy fell after crossing her half-century, stumped off Sophie Molineux as she tried to keep up with the rising run rate.
Deepti (33 off 22) reduced the margin of defeat before miscuing one off Sobhana. Poonam Khemnar (31 off 24) also put up a valiant fight before being knocked over off the last ball of the game by Molineux.
Who won Player of the Match in yesterday’s UPW vs RCB WPL 2024 match?
For RCB, captain Mandhana clobbered 10 fours and three sixes in her 80, while Perry also contributed a stroke-filled half-century. Four bowlers claimed two wickets each.
Left-arm spinner Ecclestone (1-22) was economical for UPW, while Healy led UPW’s chase, smashing seven fours and three sixes. Bangalore captain Mandhana, though, was named the Player of the Match for her brilliant knock that set up her team’s win.