Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) concluded their Women's Premier League (WPL) 2025 campaign with a thrilling 11-run victory over Mumbai Indians (MI) in the final league match.
Sports News: The 20th and final league match of the Women's Premier League was played on March 11th at the Brabourne Stadium between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore. RCB emerged victorious by 11 runs. Mumbai captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and elected to bowl first, but RCB put up a stellar performance, scoring 199 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in 20 overs.
In response, Mumbai managed only 188 runs for 9 wickets in their 20 overs. This win marked the end of RCB's season, while Mumbai Indians' hopes of directly reaching the final were dashed. Mumbai will now have to play an eliminator to secure a place in the final.
Smashing Innings by Smriti and Perry
RCB captain Smriti Mandhana provided a brilliant start after losing the toss, scoring 53 runs off 37 balls, including 6 fours and 3 sixes. Shabhnim Ismail also made a quick start, scoring 26 runs off 13 balls. Following this, Ellyse Perry played a magnificent unbeaten innings of 49 runs off 38 balls, also achieving the milestone of 9000 runs in T20 cricket. Richa Ghosh contributed 36 runs off 22 balls, while Georgia Wareham smashed 31 runs off 10 balls, propelling the team to a b total. For Mumbai, Hayley Matthews took 2 wickets and Amelia Kerr took 1.
Nat Sciver-Brunt's Battling Innings
Mumbai had a poor start, with Hayley Matthews (19) and Amelia Kerr (10) returning to the pavilion early. Nat Sciver-Brunt then played an aggressive innings of 69 runs off 35 balls, including 9 fours and 2 sixes. However, she lacked significant support from the other end. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur (20) and Amanjot Kaur (17) also failed to play extended innings. Mumbai Indians struggled throughout, managing only 188 runs against RCB's disciplined bowling.
For RCB, Sneha Rana bowled exceptionally well, taking 3 wickets for 26 runs in 4 overs, while Kim Garth took 2 wickets. With this victory, Bangalore ended their WPL 2025 campaign on a high, while Mumbai will now have another opportunity to reach the final.
