Matthews powers Mumbai to dominant victory

MUMBAI: Mumbai Indians cruised to its second consecutive win in the Women’s Premier League with a comprehensive nine-wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore, which succumbed to its second defeat in as many days.

An all-round show from Hayley Matthews at the Brabourne Stadium here on Monday helped Mumbai to consolidate its position at the top of the WPL table. The West Indian first picked up three wickets and later smashed a 38-ball unbeaten 77 (13 fours, 1 six). While Matthews delivered with both bat and ball, left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque (2/26) impressed again and took her tournament tally to six wickets.

Chasing 156, Matthews forged a defining partnership with England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt (55 not out off 29 balls, 9 fours, 1 six), with the two right-handed batters hammering the RCB bowlers all over the park to put on an unbeaten 114-run stand for the second wicket.

Sciver-Brunt, who could not convert her good start in the opening match, struck a cracking half-century to take her team home in just the 15th over. Sciver-Brunt took a special liking for debutant Shreyanka Patil, clobbering three boundaries in the eighth over to put Mumbai in almost a run-a-ball situation from thereon.

Sciver-Brunt and Matthews took on Patil again, this time in the 13th over, with three fours and a six getting them 20 runs. The only breakthrough for Royal Challengers came in the fifth over when Preeti Bose (1/34) trapped Yastika Bhatia (23) in front of the wicket.

The ‘Player of the Match’ Matthews seemed to have picked up from where she had left off at the DY Patil Stadium the other night, playing her strokes with power, precision and command. Matthews hammered 13 fours and a six in her 77-run knock, which came after she had returned superb bowling figures of 4-0-28-3. She accounted for RCB skipper Smriti Mandhana (23), Heather Knight (0) and Richa Ghosh (28).

Earlier, RCB fought back with useful contributions from its lower-order as it recovered from a batting collapse to reach 155 in 18.4 overs. After a decent start provided by Mandhana (23 off 17 balls, 5 fours), Bangalore lost four wickets in eight balls to slip from 39/0 to 43/4.

The damage was caused by Saika Matthews, who along with New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr (2/30) shared seven wickets between them. Richa (28), Kanika Ahuja (22), Shreyanka (23) and Megan Schutt (20) got some much-needed runs to take the team’s total beyond 150.

BRIEF SCORES: Royal Challengers Bangalore 155 in 18.4 overs (H Matthews 3/28) lost to Mumbai Indians 159/1 in 14.2 overs (H Matthews 77*, Sciver-Brunt 55*)