UP Warriorz Vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, WPL 2024: Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry Shine As RCB Beat UPW By 23 Runs - As It Happened

The stage is set for the last game of the Bengaluru leg of the ongoing Women's Premier League 2024. The hosts Royal Challengers Bangalore meet the UP Warriorz in a classic face-off at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The Smriti Mandhana-led Bangalore is coming after back-to-back losses in home games whereas Alyssa Healy's UP Warriorz defeated Gujarat Giants by six wickets in their last game. Bangalore have a great opportunity to finish the home leg on a high note with a comprehensive victory against UP Warriorz on Monday. Follow the live cricket scores and updates of the RCB-W Vs UPW match 11 of WPL 2024 here (Streaming |  Full Coverage | Schedule And Points Table)

Royal Challengers Bangalore Women Squad: Smriti Mandhana(c), Sophie Devine, Sabbhineni Meghana, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh(w), Sophie Molineux, Georgia Wareham, Shreyanka Patil, Simran Bahadur, Asha Sobhana, Renuka Thakur Singh, Ekta Bisht, Kate Cross, Nadine de Klerk, Disha Kasat, Indrani Roy, Shubha Satheesh, Shraddha Pokharkar

UP Warriorz Squad: Alyssa Healy(w/c), Kiran Navgire, Chamari Athapaththu, Grace Harris, Shweta Sehrawat, Deepti Sharma, Poonam Khemnar, Saima Thakor, Sophie Ecclestone, Anjali Sarvani, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Gouher Sultana, Danielle Wyatt, Tahlia McGrath, Laxmi Yadav, Vrinda Dinesh, Parshavi Chopra, Soppadhandi Yashasri

UP Warriorz have won the toss and have opted to field

Teams:

Royal Challengers Bangalore Women (Playing XI): Smriti Mandhana(c), Sophie Devine, Sabbhineni Meghana, Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh(w), Sophie Molineux, Georgia Wareham, Ekta Bisht, Simran Bahadur, Asha Sobhana, Renuka Thakur Singh

UP Warriorz (Playing XI): Alyssa Healy(w/c), Kiran Navgire, Chamari Athapaththu, Grace Harris, Shweta Sehrawat, Deepti Sharma, Poonam Khemnar, Sophie Ecclestone, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Saima Thakor, Anjali Sarvani

Sabbhineni Meghana along with skipper Smriti Mandhana opened the batting and Grace Harris came to bowl the first over for UP Warriorz. She conceded just two runs and gave UPW a fantastic start.

RCB - 2/0 (1)

UP get the breakthrough! 104.1 kph, another short ball that may have stayed on the pitch. Meghana attempts to flay another one through the off-side, but the timing is incorrect on this occasion. The bat twists at the instant of impact, and the ball lobs into the air. To gather it, Athapaththu settles beneath additional cover. The partnership has been dissolved.

RCB - 57/1 (6)

Chamari Athapaththu came to bowl the second over of her spell and conceded 12 runs in the over.

RCB - 79/1 (9)

Smriti Mandhana completed her second half-century of the season with a single on the first delivery of the 13th over. Ellyse Perry hit a six on the fourth delivery of Grace Hariss' over to extract 11 runs from the over.

RCB - 113/1 (13)

Anjali Sarvani came to bowl the 16th over and Smriti Mandhana hit three fours in the first five deliveries and Perry also smashed one of the last delivery when she got the strike.

RCB - 146/1 (16)

Deepti Sharma finally broke the 93-run partnership. Mandhana holed out to Poonam Khemnar and went back after making 80 runs off 50 balls.

RCB - 154/2 (17)

Ellyse Perry completed her half-century with a four off Deepti Sharma's final over of her spell. She charged again and smashed a massive six that hit the display car at the venue.

RCB - 188/2 (19)

Powered by Ellyse Perry's hitting and Richa Ghosh's crucial innings in the end, RCB posted a total of 198 runs on the board. Now, UP Warriorz need 199 runs to win the match.

RCB - 198/3 (20)

Brief Score: RCB - 198/3 (20)

Smriti Mandhana - 80 (50), Ellyse Perry - 58 (37) | Sophie Ecclestone: (4-0-22-1)

Kiran Navigire along with captain Alyssa Healy opened the batting for UP Warriorz and Renuka Thakur Singh started with the first over for RCB. She started with a maiden over.

UPW - 0/0 (1)

In the air, and taken! 109kph, fuller than a length just outside off, Navgire attempts to hit it downtown but misses the loft as it comes off the bottom of the bat. Wareham backpedals from the middle and makes a safe catch. RCB has made the breakthrough.

UPW - 47/1 (5)

Excellent catch by the keeper! 88.9 kph, pace off, full length, Harris shuffles over to scoop, and it comes off the bat. However, the ball lacks wings due to its slow speed. Richa Ghosh glides to her left and timed her leap precisely to land a two-handed surprise. UP loses its third wicket.

UPW - 75/3 (8)

Asha Sobhana strikes in her first over. After hitting a few dot balls, Sehrawat dances down the track to swing across the line and break the shackles. She got beaten in flight, and the ball spins away to lob up off the outside edge. Bisht completes the catch by taking a few steps backwards at the cover point.

UPW - 90/4 (10)

Alyssa Healy needs to walk back! It was a flatter delivery pushed towards the batter as she came down the wicket and made room; she slashed at it with an angled bat and was beaten as it slid through; it was a difficult take for Richa Ghosh as it went past leg-stump; she did well, removing the bails before Healy could drag her foot back in. Big wicket for RCB.

RCB - 118/5 (13)

Georgia Wareham came to bowl the 17th over with Deepti Sharma and Poonam Khemnar at the crease. She conceded just three runs off the over. UPW need 49 runs in 18 balls now.

UPW - 150/5 (17)

Sophie Molineux bowled Poonam Khemnar on the last delivery of the over to finish UPW's innings as they fell 23 runs short of the target.

RCB - 175/8 (20)

All five games we've played here have been amazing. Without a question, the finest atmosphere I've played in during my career. They have turned out fantastically. It's an amazing feeling to have that type of support; we are quite fortunate. We've played a lot of cricket over the previous few months. It's simply the nature of the format; sometimes it works for you, and other nights it doesn't. Tonight is a great chance for me to get in. On the other end, Smriti was hammering it as hard as she could. My task was to assist her and then, towards the end, release a couple balls. Good times and excellent circumstances here. We're really trying to take pleasure in our fielding, which is a little difficult when there's a left-hand right-hand combo. We put in a huge effort. The girls delivered an outstanding performance tonight. It's great to finish on a high in front of our fans. (After shattering the glass of a showcase car), I was concerned; I'm not sure whether I have insurance here to cover it.

Vrinda Dinesh Ruled Out Of Remainder Of WPL 2024 Due To Shoulder Injury

Vrinda Dinesh of UP Warriorz will miss the rest of the WPL season due to a shoulder injury sustained during Match 6 vs Mumbai Indians on February 28th at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

The UP Warriorz value all of our athletes' health and wish her a swift recovery. We are hoping to see her back in action shortly. In the meantime, Uma Chetry will replace her on the team, announced UP Warriorz in a statement.

We were drained from the previous two games and knew we needed to get going today. Losing the toss didn't help, but there was a clear message to demonstrate purpose right immediately. Everyone batted quite well, especially Meghana at the top, and then the bowlers came out and performed their jobs. We got a touch lucky on 26, but I'll take it since we really wanted to win. The practice was excellent, and playing domestic helped. It was good preparation; once you have a feel for it, all you have to do is decide which region to target. Perry and I were commenting to each other that we'd played together for ten matches, but this was our first 50-run stand. We're both seasoned enough to know which bowler to target. There wasn't much conversation; it was all about execution. We never believed we were out of the game; that is how T20 cricket works. We were discussing how we would take wickets and come back. Different bowlers handled pressure at different stages and finished the job.

UP Warriorz fell 23 runs short of the target as RCB won the match easily. Smriti Mandhana and Ellyse Perry played crucial half-centuries to set the 199-run target which Mandhana & Co. defended successfully in their last home leg game. The New Delhi leg starts tomorrow and we will join you all tomorrow now. Farewell and Goodnight!