WPL 2024: Smriti Mandhana, disciplined bowling power RCB past GG, win second straight game

Royal Challengers Bangalore produced an all-round show to beat Gujarat Giants by 8-wickets in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) clash at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

After winning the toss, RCB fielded and restricted Gujarat to a lowly 107 for 7 and then overhauled the target with ease, scoring 110 for 2 in 12.3 overs.

RCB captain Smriti Mandhana hit a 27-ball 43, while Sabbhineni Meghana (36*) and Ellyse Perry (23*) also chipped in to complement the bowling efforts of pacer Renuka Singh (2/14) and left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux (3/25).

Make that two wins in a row for Royal Challengers Bangalore! ❤️👏@RCBTweets chase down the target with more than 7 overs to spare 💪

Scorecard 💻📱 https://t.co/wV0BEgckTA#TATAWPL | #RCBvGG pic.twitter.com/ZQL3DTeT0W

— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) February 27, 2024

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The 108-run chase began began with a bang as Mandhana slammed consecutive boundaries in the first two balls off pacer Lea Tahuhu.

The left-hander added another four a ball later as RCB amassed 13 runs in the first over.

With boundaries coming at ease, the Bangalore team marched to 32 for no loss in the third over but lost Sophine Devine to Ashleigh Gardner in the next over.

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Her dismissal did not slow the momentum as Mandhana smoked a six over the head off Tahuhu to keep the scoring going.

A fifty was there for taking, but a tame push off left-arm spinner Tanuja Kanwar cut short her entertaining stint.

Batting first, Gujarat Giants batting unit never got going against a disciplined RCB bowling. Gujarat’s struggles with bat can be underlined by the fact that they managed just 10 fours and two sixes in their entire innings.

On a less than desirable surface, RCB bowlers hit the right lengths to keep the Giants back - with Beth Mooney’s dismissal the perfect example.

Renuka, hit for two boundaries by Mooney, changed her line coming around the wicket and was rewarded with the big wicket. The Australian player failed to tackle the delivery that shaped in to beat her defensive stride forward.

Phoebe Litchfield, too, fell to Renuka when the Aussie failed to drag her feet back inside the crease before Richa Ghosh, standing up behind the stumps, completed the stumping.

Such was Renuka’s influence that she bowled all of her four overs on the trot in a single spell. She returned with figures of 4-0-14-2.

From that point, Giants kept on losing wickets, including quick scorers like Ashleigh Gardner.

Dayalan Hemalatha’s unbeaten 31 off 25 balls helped Gujarat go past the 100-run mark.

(with inputs from PTI)