WPL 2024: RCBW 135/6 vs MIW 130/6 Eliminator Highlights; Royal Challengers Bangalore Women won by 5 runs

Brilliant from RCB and Smriti Mandhana has literally broken down in tears.. What a win and what a comeback! Brilliant

What a season Royal Challengers Bangalore has had. After a see-sawing campaign in the league stage, the side – largely thanks to the brilliance of Ellyse Perry – crawled its way into the knockouts. Facing Mumbai Indians – the very side it beat to qualify for the playoffs – RCB’s luck and a few clinical performances under pressure carried the side into the final after it sealed a tense five-run win in the final over at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Friday. 

It comes down to 12 needed of the last six and Smriti Mandhana entrusts Asha Sobhana with the nervy over. The MI batters begin with two singles and Vastrakar runs two to bring the target down to seven runs needed off the last three. Here comes the breakthrough! Vastrakar comes down the track trying to go for the big one. Misses. Richa makes no mistake behind the stumps! OUT. Seven needed off two now. Amanjot and Kerr can only manage two runs! RCB has done the unthinkable. They have knocked the defending champion out of the tournament! 

RCB is pulling all stops as Molineux traps Sajana on a big eliminator, and that’s a huge wicket. Mumbai in huge trouble

Shreyanka Pati has taken us to a thriller as Harmanpreet Kaur falls! Can you believe it! 

A four to the deep mid-wicket means Mumbai Indians Women need 20 runs in 18 balls.

The timing is everything in this game and Kaur secures two boundaries to push her side closer to the win.

Sophie Molineux into her third over, and it remains to be seen when Renuka, who has bowled just one over comes into the attack.

Harmanpreet produces a boundary, and that was a classic. She holds the key.

Harmanpreet fetches a boundary, but Mumbai is making rough weather of a small run chase. 

Harmanpreet holds the key as RCB is putting out a fight. Amelia Kerr joins Harmanpreet.

A pull through the mid-wicket and the power of execution was brilliant, and then another boundary through the mid-wicket, but Wareham strikes by castling Brunt, who missed a straight ball. 

The poor umpiring in the WPL continues as a clear wide goes upstairs. Mumbai Indians Women needs 76 runs in 60 balls

There is tension in the air as Harmanpreet survives a run-out as Sophie Molineux rolls out a brilliant over. 

Nat Sciver-Brunt finds the boundary, and Perry pays the price for staying on the line. The fifty for Mumbai comes up, but Perry strikes as as she castles Yastika.

Georgia Wareham is back into the attack and a tickle by Nat Sciver-Brunt crosses the boundary. An under-edge you can call, but runs are runs. 

Yastika Bhatia is superb as the southpaw dances down the track and nails Sophie Molineux through the mid-off, and that’s an excellent shot.

A six-wicket haul in her last game, and what a spell Perry is bowling. However, Yastika finds the fence through the covers as Mumbai is up and running in this run chase.

Shreyanka Patil strikes to remove Matthews, and Yastika’s drop will still hurt them in a small run chase. 

Runs and now coming tick and fast for Mumbai and Matthews driving the run chase for Mumbai with boundaries to the square region. 

Early signs of spin as Shreyanka Patil is into the attack and an excellent over from the spinner as she gives up just three runs in her opening over. 

Yastika Bhatia survives a DRS call that was clearly a desperation to seek a breakthrough, with RCB defending 135. The field is up, and Renuka is searching for a wicket. Yastika and Matthews are off the mark. 

We sort of grappled our way through the innings. Mumbai put us on the backfoot early, but we managed this total, and we’ve got a crack at defending. We love our time in the field together. No better place than the eliminator to do that. Ball just keeps a fraction low. Ones to the stumps are hard to place and pierce the stumps. 

Saika Ishaque removes Perry, and Mumbai is lining up for a massive win. Nat Sciver-Brunt doesn’t drops it tonight. Wareham however, finishes with a six to instil some hope. 

Wareham targets the deep mid-wicket region and gets the desired result with a boundary.

Amelia Kerr back into the attack but Perry with a solid sweep has taken RCB past the 100-run mark. 

Perry gets to her fifty in 40 balls, a second in this edition and she has been the lone soldier.

Matthews finishes her quota of overs with 4-0-18-2. A 2/118 in a top game!

Nat Sciver-Brunt castles Molineux and RCB lack power in the last overs. Can they finish with a decent total remains to be seen.

Perry gets going and fetches a boundary off Kerr, a full toss that was sent straight down the ground. 

Perry gets going as she shuffles down the wicket and executes a short-arm jab to dispatch Vastrakar for a maximum over the deep mid-wicket. 

Matthews continues, and RCB is really struggling to fetch boundaries. Swing and miss has the case so far. The fifty is up, but they need more runs. 

Nat Sciver-Brunt has chained RCB further and this has been brilliant from Mumbai. 

Nat Sciver-Brunt doesn’t drops a catch tonight as she pouches Richa Ghosh with Matthews picking her second wicket. It’s a huge wicket in the context of the game.

Pooja Vastrakar into the attack, and this has been excellent from Mumbai. RCB really pushing hard for runs but Mumbai has control. 

Nice use of the feet from Perry as she drills Ishaque down the track and then Richa with the first six of the evening. RCB gaining some momentum.

What an over from Ismail as she bowls a maiden over and restricts Richa from going over the top. Excellent from Mumbai.

Ellyse Perry and Richa Ghosh batted really well in the last game, and there is no need to press the panic button. The PowerPlay, however, belongs to Mumbai, despite Perry flicking Nat Sciver-Brunt to the deep-midwicket boundary.

Ismail back into the attack, and after giving 14 in her first over, the pacer has come back strongly almost yorking Richa Ghosh. 

Saika Ishaque into the attack, and RCB is in a lot of trouble as Disha Kasat hits straight to Vastrakar and departs for a duck. 

Nat Sciver-Brunt strikes to remove Smriti Mandhana and that’s a huge wicket as RCB loses two wickets. Smriti tried to go over the extra cover region but couldn’t get the elevation right as Ismail pouched a simple catch.

Mandhana on the attack as she hammers Matthews over mid-off for a boundary, but Matthews castles Devine. Huge wicket and a review went against Mumbai.

What a wonderful start as Smriti pulls Ismail to the square leg boundary, and then Sophie Devine finds the fence to open her account and chops on, but the bails didn’t go off. The lights were on, but the wicket didn’t fall. Eventful start. 

Smriti Mandhana(c), Sophie Molineux, Ellyse Perry, Sophie Devine, Richa Ghosh(w), Georgia Wareham, Disha Kasat, Shreyanka Patil, Asha Sobhana, Shraddha Pokharkar, Renuka Thakur Singh

Hayley Matthews, Yastika Bhatia(w), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Amelia Kerr, Amanjot Kaur, Pooja Vastrakar, S Sajana, Humaira Kazi, Shabnim Ismail, Saika Ishaque

RCB wins the toss, opts to bat first

Live streaming of the Women’s Premier League 2024 matches will be on JioCinema. The WPL 2024 matches will be telecast live on Sports18.

Hayley Matthews, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Amelia Kerr, Pooja Vastrakar, S Sajana, Amanjot Kaur, Humaria Kaazi, Shabnim Ismail, Saika Ishaque 

Smriti Mandhana (C), Sophie Molineux, Ellyse Perry, Sophie Devine, Richa Ghosh (wk), Georgia Wareham, S Meghana, Shreyanka Patil, Asha Sobhana, Shraddha Pokharkar, Renuka Thakur 

Smriti Mandhana(c), Sophie Molineux, Ellyse Perry, Sophie Devine, Richa Ghosh(w), Georgia Wareham, Disha Kasat, Shreyanka Patil, Asha Sobhana, Shraddha Pokharkar, Renuka Thakur Singh, Simran Bahadur, Indrani Roy, Shubha Satheesh, Nadine de Klerk, Sabbhineni Meghana, Kate Cross, Ekta Bisht

Hayley Matthews, S Sajana, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Amelia Kerr, Amanjot Kaur, Pooja Vastrakar, Humaira Kazi, Priyanka Bala(w), Shabnim Ismail, Saika Ishaque, Chloe Tryon, Fatima Jaffer, Keerthana Balakrishnan, Issy Wong, Yastika Bhatia, Jintimani Kalita, Amandeep Kaur