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Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) beat UP Warriorz by five wickets in yesterday (March 15)’s Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2023 game at the DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai. The win was RCB’s first in the tournament in their sixth attempt.
Bowling first after winning the toss, Bangalore held UP Warriorz to 135, with Ellyse Perry claiming 3-16. RCB were four down for 60 in the chase. However, Kanika Ahuja (46 off 30) and Richa Ghosh (31* off 32) guided the team to a morale-boosting win.
RCB got off to a mixed start as Sophie Devine hammered Grace Harris for two fours and a six in the first over. However, she perished in the same over for 14, caught in the deep while attempting a slog-sweep. Bangalore captain Smriti Mandhana’s woes with the bat continued, as she was bowled for a duck by Deepti Sharma, missing her sweep.
Perry (10) lofted Devika Vaidya straight to mid-on, while Heather Knight (24)'s sweep off Sharma found the fielder in the deep. Ahuja then played a terrific knock under pressure, lifting Bangalore to victory. She struck eight fours and a six, bringing out a wide array of strokes.
Ahuja was bowled by Sophie Ecclestone in the 17th over as she went too far across and exposed her stumps. Ghosh then struck Sharma for a four and a six as RCB eased to victory with two overs to spare.
RCB bowlers throttle UP Warriorz
Perry, Devine (2-23) and Asha Shobana (2-27) shone with the ball as Bangalore did not allow UP batters to get away. Devine struck two massive blows in the first over, trapping Devika Vaidya lbw for a golden duck and having Alyssa Healy (1) caught at midwicket as the batter uppishly flicked one.
Tahlia McGrath (2) was caught behind off Megan Schutt as UP slipped to 5-3. Kiran Navgire (22) struck a couple of meaty blows before slogging a full delivery from Sobhana straight up in the air. The bowler had her second in quick succession when Simran Shaikh’s (2) flick-sweep resulted in an easy catch at midwicket.
Ghosh missed a stumping of Harris off Sobhana’s bowling in the 11th over. The UP batter went on to punish Bangalore’s bowlers, whacking five fours and two sixes in her 32-ball 46. Harris and Sharma (22 off 19 balls) added 69 runs for the sixth wicket.
Both set batters, though, fell to Perry in the 16th over. Sharma hit a full toss straight to deep midwicket, while Harris nicked a bouncer down leg. There was no final flourish from the lower order as UP Warriorz were bowled out for 135.
UPW vs RCB: Who won Player of the Match in yesterday's WPL 2023 Match?
Perry shone for Bangalore with the ball, claiming three wickets, while Devine and Shobana chipped in with two scalps apiece. With the bat, Ahuja played a defining knock, while Ghosh did the finishing job.
For UP, Harris top-scored with 46, while Sharma scored 22 and claimed two wickets. Ahuja was named the Player of the Match for her counter-attacking innings under pressure.
