“It has been an even playing field here at the Chinnaswamy and it’s not toss-oriented,” Royal Challengers Bengaluru assistant coach Malolan Rangarajan had said after the side’s loss to Gujarat Giants.
However, Smriti Mandana’s disappointed face after losing the flip of the coin for the fourth consecutive match painted a different picture.
The defending champion ended the Bengaluru leg of the Women’s Premier League without a win after it was handed a nine-wicket loss by Delhi Capitals at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday. With this win, the Capitals became the first side to make the playoffs and left RCB’s position in the standings in a precarious position.
HIGHLIGHTS, DC VS RCB, AS IT HAPPENED
Jess Jonassen upstaged compatriot Ellyse Perry on the night as she scored a brilliant 61 off 38 balls, stitching a 146-run unbeaten partnership with Shafali Verma to chase down 148 in 15.3 overs.
RCB drew first blood after Meg Lanning holed out to Perry’s jumping effort at mid-on off Renuka Singh in just the third over. Hoping to guard against a collapse, the Capitals promoted Jonassen once more to number 3.
While the Aussie allrounder stabilised the innings, Shafali (80 off 43 balls)– who struck four massive sixes — finally got out of the nervous forties to notch up her first half-century of the season.
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Ellyse Perry’s imperious run with the bat continued
| Photo Credit:
K. Murali Kumar/ The Hindu
Ellyse Perry’s imperious run with the bat continued
| Photo Credit:
K. Murali Kumar/ The Hindu
Earlier, Smriti’s misfortune in the middle with the bat continued after she was sent back to the hut in just the second over. Shikha Pandey validated Lanning’s faith in her as she drew a thick outside edge from Smriti to give her captain a simple catch at first slip.
Opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Perry gave the packed Chinnaswamy a few chances to wave their flags during the PowerPlay, adding 44 runs before the English batter was removed by Marizanne Kapp right after the strategic timeout.
While spinners Jess Jonassen and Minnu Mani – stars for DC against Mumbai Indians the previous night – were humbled by an unstoppable Perry, it was debutant Sree Charani who got the breakthroughs.
One Brings Two 👏
N. Charani gets her first and second #TATAWPL wickets in the same over 🙌#DC have pushed #RCB back to 131/5 after 18 overs.
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/pTL9a8wDJL#RCBvDC | @DelhiCapitalspic.twitter.com/xqrj30u8ts
— Women’s Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) March 1, 2025
Raghvi Bist, in at No. 4, was riding her luck throughout the 66-run stand she stitched with Perry for the third wicket. After a botched stumping and a missed run out opportunity, Charani (2/28) tricked the batter with a turner with Sarah Bryce completing a stumping. In the same over, the 20-year-old tweaker removed Richa Ghosh cheaply too.
Placards of ‘We love you Perry’ bobbed up and down whenever the Australian found the boundary but her 47-ball 60 couldn’t save RCB the blushes this time.
