Royal Challengers Bengaluru is an eccentric franchise with an even whackier fanbase. On a muggy Tuesday evening in Mumbai, with a sea of blue dressing the colonial-era stands of the Brabourne Stadium, RCB managed to get Mumbai Indians’ ardent supporters on its side as it stunned the home side by 11 runs in the last league game of the Women’s Premier League’s third chapter.
RCB’s consolatory triumph meant the defending champion avoided a last-place finish and shaved off some muscle from MI’s Net Run Rate (from +0.298 to +0.192) to hand Delhi Capitals its third straight direct berth in the final.
Chasing 200 to win, a pace-heavy RCB tried its best to snuff out the opening pair of Hayley Matthews and Amelia Kerr. Smriti Mandhana’s strategic use of Sneh Rana’s off-spin, sandwiching her in the middle of the seamers, paid off as she outsmarted Matthews in the fourth and Kerr in the sixth. She used her slower balls with tact, drawing the batters out for a shot only to not manage any power to clear fielders in the square leg and extra cover respectively.
AS IT HAPPENED | MI vs RCB HIGHLIGHTS
Nat Sciver-Brunt became the first player in the WPL to score more than 400 runs in a season as she took charge of the chase with some authoritative strikes over the fence on both sides of the V.
Introducing Kim Garth’s express pace did the trick with a leg cutter bringing about the end of Harmanpreet Kaur. Sciver-Brunt punished RCB, quickly getting to 69 off just 35 deliveries, striking at an impressive 197.14 before Ellyse Perry caught her off her own bowling in the 15th.
Sneh returned to finish her quota after landing awkwardly on her shoulder and nipped Yastika Bhatia’s innings in the bud to finish with figures of 3/26.
Sixty runs were needed off the last four overs. Sajana’s final over bravado brought the equation down to 12 needed off two balls. But MI’s desperate attempts to avoid the eliminator went in vain, with RCB playing spoilsport to perfection.
Nat Sciver-Brunt became the first player in the WPL to score more than 400 runs in a season as she took charge of the chase with some authoritative strikes over the fence on both sides of the V.
| Photo Credit:
PTI
Nat Sciver-Brunt became the first player in the WPL to score more than 400 runs in a season as she took charge of the chase with some authoritative strikes over the fence on both sides of the V.
| Photo Credit:
PTI
Mumbai won the toss and, as every side has done this season, opted to chase. Smriti and Sabbineni Meghana – playing only her second game of the season – gave RCB a solid start.
Hayley Matthews has been channeling her inner medium pacer for a while now and did the very same with a 103 kmph bouncer which Meghana top edged to Parunika Sisodia at short fine leg, falling for a fluent 26 off 13 balls.
Matthews had support from Amanjot Kaur in keeping things tight, forcing the Smriti-Perry pairing to start with caution. However, Kerr was thumped for 22 runs in her very first over – eighth of the innings – to turn momentum RCB’s way.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Smriti Mandhana plays a shot during the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025 cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians, in Mumbai, Tuesday, March 11, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
PTI
Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Smriti Mandhana plays a shot during the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025 cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians, in Mumbai, Tuesday, March 11, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
PTI
Amanjot and Sanskriti Gupta tightened the screws on the scoring again and Kerr almost took out Perry had she held onto a catch off her own bowling. She compensated four balls later, foxing Smriti to hole out to Shabnim Ismail at long off. Not before she made her fifty though, just her second of the season.
Richa Ghosh took charge of the big-hitting as Perry dropped anchor at the other end. She raced away to a 22-ball 36 before Matthews had the last laugh with a ball that dropped on Richa. A half shot landed in Sciver-Brunt’s hands at long-off.
Mumbai gave RCB plenty of reprieves in the field but Perry and her compatriot Georgia Wareham got RCB to 199/3, a total the RCB bowlers did well to defend and sign off from WPL 2025 on a high.
