After five successive defeats, Royal Challengers Bangalore Women have registered their first victory in the Women’s Premier League. The Smriti Mandhana led-side has defeated UP Warriorz by five wickets thanks to their disciplined bowling and smart batting.
Winning the toss, RCB opted to field first. Taking full advantage of the conditions, the Bangalore side restricted the side to 135 runs. For RCB, Ellyse Perry was the pick of the bowlers, taking three wickets for 16 runs. Asha Shobhana and Sophie Devine took two wickets apiece.
While chasing, the Royal Challengers had a disastrous start. The Banglore side lost their skipper Smriti Mandhana for a duck. Mandhana’s opening partner Sophie Devine soon followed her to the pavilion. The side was in a difficult situation when Kanika Ahuja and Richa Ghosh stitched an important partnership to take the side home.
The winning moment! 🥹
Tonight was a Wunderkind Wednesday special by Kanika & Richa 🔥#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #SheIsBold #WPL2023 #UPWvRCB
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) March 15, 2023
Mandhana was all praises for the young batters. In the post-match ceremony, she said, “Yeah, it was tense. We lost a couple of wickets in the 7th over, it was a bit nervous. But the way Kanika and Richa played was brilliant. Kanika in particular, really proud of her. Really excited to see her bat, the approach she has. She is a 360 degree player, who isn’t the most common in Indian cricket.”
With this victory, Royal Challengers Bangalore opened its account on the points table. Currently, the side is in the fourth position and faces Gujarat Giants on March 18.
