The inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL 2023) has been full of thrills. As Mumbai Indians still continues to dominate every other team, things haven’t went well for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Out of the six matches that RCB have played, they have only won one of them (RCB vs UP Wariorz).
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RCB still in trouble despite its first win
As team RCB clinches the first win of the WPL 2023, things are still bad for them. After six matches played, RCB still finds themselves in 4th place in the WPL points table with two points in 6 games. Gujarat Giants are now same on points with RCB, however, they have played one match less.
RCB’s next games include face-off with Gujarat Giants and Mumbai Indians. The team will have to win both of their left games, but they will still have to depend on other teams’ results to think for a spot in the playoffs of the WPL 2023. Their match against Gujarat can provide them with their second win of this season. However, they will have a lot to do in their final league stage face off, where they will have to face Mumbai Indians. MI is till now undefeated in this season.
Highlights:
Motivated by Virat Kohli’s talk, Royal Challengers Bangalore lived another day as they clinched their maiden win in the WPL with a five-wicket win over UP Warriorz in Navi Mumbai on 15th March, Wednesday.
After a collective show from RCB’s bowlers, Ellyse Perry, whose 3/16 score ensured UP Warriorz were bowled all out for 135 in 19.3 overs. RCB went through the target with 20-year-old Kanika Ahuja. She played the match with a winning knock of 46 off 30 balls with eight 4’s and one 6.
Kanika Ahuja and Richa Ghosh joined match at a stage from where the game could have gone either of the ways. RCB having lost four wickets with a 60 run score and a tricky challenge in their front. But they held their side strong.
In the previous meeting at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on March 10, UP Warriorz had smashed RCB. RCB lost the RCB vs UP Warriorz match by a massive 10-wickets in a one-sided game.
Ellyse Perry headlined RCB’s collective bowling efforts with a three-wicket haul. UP Warriorz were all-out for a below 135 score in 19.3 overs.
After being restricted to 31/5 score, the first 10 overs yielded a mere 43 run score on the board for UP Warriorz. They recieved a much-needed boost by Harris and Deepti Sharma with a fight-back in the match.
Harris and Deepti took UP Warriorz back in the match with a 42-ball 69 runs stand for their sixth wicket. This eventually took them past the 100-run mark. But Perry dismissed both of the set batters in the 16th over to put RCB in action again.
After dismissing Deepti and Harris in a gap of three balls, Perry also dismissed Shweta Sehrawat to harm UP Warriorz hopes of reaching a strong score.
UP Warriorz also made a disastrous start after that in their first over. Devine trapped Devika Vaidya on 0 with leg-before on a delivery that swung in. Three balls later, the in-form Alyssa Healy (1) smashed one straight to Asha.
Schutt then added to UP Warriorz’s woes when she had Tahlia McGrath caught, leaving them stumbling at 5/3.
At the end of the powerplay, UP Warriorz were at a score of 29/3. Navgire contributed 22 runs alone out of those. But her resistance soon ended when Asha dismissed her in the seventh over. Navgire was mis-hitting a sweep ball to be caught for 22 runs off 26 balls with two 4’s and a six.
Asha added another wicket to her count in the ninth over as soon as Simran Sheikh was caught. The right-arm spinner missed to have her third wicket when she found an edge off Deepti’s bat. Devine could not hold a tough catch and missed a chance at the first slip.
Squads of RCB vs UP Warriorz:
Team UP Warriorz Squad:
Alyssa Healy (captain and wicketkeeper), Devika Vaidya, Kiran Navgire, Tahlia McGrath, Simran Shaikh, Sophie Ecclestone, Deepti Sharma, Shweta Sehrawat, Shabnim Ismail, Anjali Sarvani, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Grace Harris, Lauren Bell, Shivali Shinde, Laxmi Yadav, Parshavi Chopra and Soppadhandi Yashasri
Team Royal Challengers Bangalore Squad:
Smriti Mandhana (captain), Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Shreyanka Patil, Megan Schutt, Asha Shobana, Renuka Thakur Singh, Preeti Bose, Erin Burns, Kanika Ahuja, Sahana Pawar, Disha Kasat, Dane van Niekerk, Komal Zanzad, Indrani Roy and Poonam Khemnar
Playing XI of UP Warriorz:
Alyssa Healy (captain wicketkeeper), Devika Vaidya, Shweta Sehrawat, Kiran Navgire, Tahlia McGrath, Simran Shaikh, Sophie Ecclestone, Deepti Sharma, Shabnim Ismail/ Grace Harris, Anjali Sarvani and Rajeshwari Gayakwad
Playing XI of RCB:
Smriti Mandhana (captain), Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Disha Kasat, Megan Schutt, Asha Shobana, Renuka Singh Thakur, Preeti Bose and Shreyanka Patil
ALSO READ: https://criccrunch.com/biggest-cricket-stadium-in-the-world/
SOURCES: http://www.cricbuzz.com
