TATA WPL 2024: RCB into Finals, defeat MI by 5-Runs
By: WE Staff | Saturday, 16 March 2024
The ELIMINATOR of TATA Women's Premier League was the most thrilling match of the season so far. It was a spectacular match for the audiences to watch supporting either of the franchises as Mumbai Indians was leading towards a win but due to the strong fielding of Royal Challengers Bangalore, they secured a thrilling win over MI on the semis of TATA WPL 2024. Ellyse Perry played a major role in this win, her all-round performance and slog-over bowling delivery were worth watching. Asha Shobana's heroics helped RCB defend 20 runs off the last three overs and made RCB win by 5 major runs.
Royal Challengers Bangalore won the toss and elected to bat first. However, they faced a challenging start, losing Sophie Devine, Smriti Mandhana, and Disha Kassat in the first four overs making small runs. MI's Hayley Matthews and Nat Sciver-Brunt took the major wickets of RCB, restricting them to just 34/3 by the end of Powerplay. Further, Ellyse Perry and Richa Ghosh were paving their way towards a big score but pressure built, leading to Richa Ghosh's wicket. Perry maintained calm losing her crucial partners still scored a half-century off 40 balls with five fours and a six. Lastly, Ellyse smashed 60 off 50 and Georgia Wareham's 18 off 10 knock helped RCB score 135/6 at the end of 20 overs.
In the second innings, Mumbai Indians started slow, scoring 37 and losing Hayley Matthews in the Powerplay. Yastika Bhatia missed a chance but was dismissed by Shreyanka Patil. Asha Shobana took the wicket of Pooja Vastrakar, allowing just six runs, and RCB made it to their first WPL Final.
Due to Ellyse Perry's all-round performance, she grabbed the Player of the Match award along with the Sintex Six award. Notably, she holds the Orange Cap holder at present.