WPL 2024: Ellyse Perry’s magnificent 66 takes RCB to 135/6 against Mumbai Indians

NEW DELHI: Top all-rounder Ellyse Perry became the lone warrior for the Royal Challengers Bangalore by top-scoring with a magnificent 66 to take the side to 135/6 against Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator match of the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2024 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Friday.

Ellyse, who had a brilliant all-round time by picking 6-15 and making an unbeaten 40 in Tuesday’s game against the same opposition, resurrected Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) innings by hitting eight fours and a six while being calm at the crease, on a pitch where the ball kept a bit low.

Her efforts helped RCB reach a total which gave them something to defend in a high-stakes encounter, including 51 runs coming off the last five overs. For Mumbai, Saika Ishaque, Hayley Matthews and Nat Sciver-Brunt picked up two wickets each, while their fielding was brilliant, barring a last-over dropped catch by Sajeevan Sajana.

Electing to bat first, Smriti Mandhana got the innings off the mark with an assured pulled four through square-leg off Shabnim. Sophie Devine clipped Shabnim through mid-wicket for four more and survived chopping onto her stumps when the ball brushed the stumps, but bails didn’t fall to get the third boundary of the opening overs.

Sophie had again luck on her side when Amanjot Kaur missed a direct hit of her, but she ran out of luck when Hayley beat the batter on the outside edge while trying to defend and rattled the off-stump. One brought two for MI as Smriti miscued a loft away from the body and holed out to deep cover.

Disha Kasat tried to end the run-drought but hit straight to cover point and fell for a seven-ball duck. Richa Ghosh and Ellyse showed signs of stabilising RCB’s innings with four well-timed boundaries before the first time-out, with the former’s loft against Saika Ishaque going over long-off for six being the standout.

But after the time-out, Pooja Vastrakar built pressure with her tight lines and that resulted in Richa trying to loft Hayley down the ground, but miscuing to long-on. Ellyse broke the 26-ball boundary drought by walking forward & going across to heave over deep mid-wicket for six.

She and Sophie Molineux later took a four each in their 35-run stand for the fifth wicket, before the latter was castled by Nat. Ellyse took back-to-back boundaries off Shabnim -– steering in the gap between short third man and backward point, followed by drilling down the ground -– before ending the over with a single to get her fifty in 44 balls.

Ellyse continued to lead RCB’s charge by cutting and sweeping Amelia Kerr for a brace of boundaries, before slashing Saika over extra cover for a boundary. But on the very next ball, she holed out to deep mid-wicket. Georgia Wareham finished off the innings with a powerful six over deep mid-wicket to take RCB past 130.

Brief scores:

Royal Challengers Bangalore 135/6 in 20 overs (Ellyse Perry 66; Hayley Matthews 2-18, Nat Sciver-Brunt 2-18) against Mumbai Indians.