WPL 2024: Smriti Mandhana, Renuka Singh power RCB to top after beating Giants
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) made a brilliant start to their Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 campaign, having won back-to-back matches.
After their close shave against the UP Warriorz, they defeated Beth Mooney’s Gujarat Giants by 8 wickets on Tuesday, February 27 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
With the win, RCB also went to the top of the points table, dethroning defending champions Mumbai Indians, who have also won their first 2 matches.
After opting to field first, RCB restricted the Giants to 107 for 7. The Giants could never get off the blocks after they scored only 29 runs in the powerplay. Although they took 13 runs off the only over that Shreyanka Patil bowled, the Giants struggled.
Renuka Singh delivered the body blow after she first castled Beth Mooney and then got the better of a talented Phoebe Litchfield. Sophie Molineux and Georgia Wareham turned the screws in the middle overs.
Wareham got the prized wicket of Ash Gardner, while Molineux returned with impressive figures of 4-0-25-3. Dayalan Hemalatha was the saving grace for the Giants after she scored an unbeaten 31 off 25 with 2 fours and a six.
Smriti Mandhana fires for RCB
The Challengers looked at ease in the run-chase and went past the finish line with 45 balls left in their innings. RCB showed intent and scored 47 runs in the powerplay. Sophie Devine perished early after Gardner accounted for her wicket.
Mandhana, at the other end, kept attacking the bowlers and scored 43 runs off 27 balls with 8 fours and 1 six. Tanuja Kanwar dismissed her, but by then, the RCB were already in a position of command.
Sabbhineni Meghana, who scored a half-century against MI, stayed not out on 36 off 28 balls. She also completed 2000 runs in T20 cricket. Ellyse Perry, who bowled only a single over, hit 4 fours and stayed not out on 23 off 14 balls.
With a net run rate of +1.665 from 2 matches, the Challengers are one of the favourites to go through to the next round.