What a season Royal Challengers Bangalore has had. They crawled to the knockouts thanks in large part to the talent of Ellyse perry.
Facing Mumbai Indians – the very side they beat to qualify for the play-offs – RCB’s luck and some clinical performances under pressure took the side into the summit clash after they sealed a thrilling five-run victory in the final at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Friday.
Smriti Mandhana opted to bat and looked to set the target on a surface that remained slow for the most part. RCB fielded their fourth new opening pair, sending in the out-of-form Sophie Devine alongside Smriti Mandhan.
The duo stepped up to the flyer and took Shabnim Ismail for 14 runs. Hayley Matthews removed Devine with the ball clipping her off stump in the second over. Smriti lost to Nat Silver Brandt after two deliveries. Disha Cassatt and Elise Perry were tasked with anchoring the innings, but Disha Cassatt, a regular batsman in domestic cricket, crumbled under the pressure and fell for a duck in the seventh over.
Richa and Sophie Molineux eventually made it back to the dugout, leaving Perry to do all the heavy lifting again. He scored another fifty, with a superb 50-ball 66, taking RCB’s once doomed total to 135.
Matthews and Yastika Bhatia got off to a positive start but the former’s poor form continued after Shreyanka Patil dismissed her in the fourth game. Perry removed Yastika and kept things tight, sticking to the tried and true off stump line.
Sciver-Brunt was taken out by Wareham just as she started to break the line. Harmanpreet Kaur and Amelia Kerr looked set to put the team through with 52 runs, but Harman and Sajana soon found themselves nervously watching from the trenches.
With 12 needed from the last six balls, Smriti turned to Asha Sobhana who helped keep things tight, removing Pooja Vastrakar to seal the dice win and defend the lowest score of the tournament.
RCB will focus on Delhi Capitals on Sunday in its quest for a maiden WPL title.
