Mumbai Indians Vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, WPL 2024: RCB Beat MI By 5 Runs In Low-Scoring Thriller In Eliminator - As It Happened

Welcome to the highlights of the eliminator match in the Women's Premier League 2024 between Mumbai Indians Women and Royal Challengers Bangalore Women played at the iconic Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. The stage was set for the highly anticipated match. It was the last chance to book a seat in the final to be played against the hosts Delhi Capitals Women. The Smriti Mandhana-led RCB batted first and lost three wickets early. Ellyse Perry held her nerves and she kept making runs to finish her inning in the last over with 66 off 50 balls. Georgia Wareham also played a good cameo in the end. In response, MI started well but RCB bowlers bowled economic spells and made the chase difficult for MI. After Harmanpreet Kaur lost her wicket in the 18th over, Sophie Molineux and Asha Sobhana delivered brilliant 19th and 20th over and helped MI win the match by 5 runs. Catch the highlights of the MI-W Vs RCB-W knock-out match here. (Streaming | Full Coverage | Schedule And Points Table)

Mumbai Indians Women: Hayley Matthews, S Sajana, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Amelia Kerr, Amanjot Kaur, Pooja Vastrakar, Humaira Kazi, Priyanka Bala(w), Shabnim Ismail, Saika Ishaque, Chloe Tryon, Fatima Jaffer, Keerthana Balakrishnan, Issy Wong, Yastika Bhatia, Jintimani Kalita, Amandeep Kaur

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

Royal Challengers Bangalore Women have won the toss and have opted to bat

Teams:

Royal Challengers Bangalore Women (Playing XI): Smriti Mandhana(c), Sophie Molineux, Ellyse Perry, Sophie Devine, Richa Ghosh(w), Georgia Wareham, Disha Kasat, Shreyanka Patil, Asha Sobhana, Shraddha Pokharkar, Renuka Thakur Singh

Mumbai Indians Women (Playing XI): Hayley Matthews, Yastika Bhatia(w), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Amelia Kerr, Amanjot Kaur, Pooja Vastrakar, S Sajana, Humaira Kazi, Shabnim Ismail, Saika Ishaque

What Captains Said

Smriti Mandhana | RCB-W Captain: We'd prefer to bat first today. It's an Eliminator, so every run on the board counts. It should start keeping low in the second inning. We remain unaltered today. There were many highs and lows throughout the event. We'll take a lot of positives from our last match.

Harmanpreet Kaur | MI-W Captain: We were perplexed, and we were hoping to bat first as well. Yastika returns today for Bala. We have learned a lot. Today is a fresh match; hopefully, we can do what we want. Staying in the now is critical. Today's game is significant, and we want to give it our all.

Pitch no. 3 is going to be used for the match. The square boundaries are 46 metres and 63 metres respectively with straight boundary at 64 metres. The ball has kept 12 cm low in Delhi's pitches in comparison to Bengaluru's pitches but bounce is expected from today's pitch. This is a high-scoring pitch with a short boundary hence, get ready for a run-fest in the Eliminator.

Sophie Devine is back at the top-order with captain Smriti Mandhana. Shabnim Ismail opened the bowling attack for MI. The first ball went for a four in square leg. Sophie Devine smashed back-to-back boundaries when she played the third and fourth delivery. 14 runs came off the first over.

RCB - 14/0 (1)

Devine stands stunned. That was a flighted ball around off, and Devine takes the wrong path as she moves forward to block. She played for spin when there was none, and her bat made contact with the pad. Beaten on the outside edge, the ball strikes the off-stump.

RCB - 20/1 (2)

RCB loses both their openers in fast succession! That was a fuller than a length outside off, and Mandhana goes forward and across the infield. Tries to go over additional cover, but the bat twists at the time of the hit, resulting in a mistake. Slices it in the air, and Ismail moves in from deep cover to make a calm grab.

RCB - 23/2 (3)

After three dot balls, Disha Kasat attempts a dangerous shot and fails. Shimmies down the track and over the infield. Gets it from the bottom of the bat and so does not receive the requisite height. Even though the positioning was incorrect; she hit that straight to Vastrakar at the cover point. RCB is in trouble.

RCB - 24/3 (4)

Saika Ishaque came to bowl the eighth over, Ellyse Perry hit a boundary on the fourth delivery and Richa Ghosh smashed a six on the last to finish the over with 13 runs from it.

RCB - 47/3 (8)

Richa Ghosh holes out, dealing a big blow to RCB. Tossed up, full, and with a hint of spin just outside off, Ghosh is drawn into the huge shot and dies as a result. The right-hander chooses to loft it downtown after seeing the longer length. However, the time is off. Greater height than distance. Nat Sciver-Brunt, who dropped two dollies in the last grab, sits beneath the skier and eats it.

RCB - 51/4 (10)

Nat Sciver-Brunt takes her retribution! Boundary and exit! Molineux, an England all-rounder, moves leg-side to cut a slower ball but misses completely. Doesn't notice the difference in speed and hears the death rattle. Sciver-Brunt is revved up and ends her spell with 2/18!

RCB - 84/5 (15)

Ellyse Perry completed her fifty in the 17th over off 40 balls and then she changed the gears and smashed every other bowler that came in her range. She got out in the last over after trying to go for a big one. Georgia Wareham played a crucial cameo in the end to take the team to a respectable total.

RCB - 135/6 (20)

After early wickets, RCB somehow found a way to put up a respectable total of 135 runs thanks to Elly Perry's 66 runs off 50 balls. Now, MI need 136 runs to win the match and proceed to the coveted final in 120 balls.

Brief Score: RCB - 135/6 (20)

Ellyse Perry - 66 (50), Georgia Wareham - 18 (10) | Nat Sciver-Brunt: (4-0-18-2)

Yastika Bhatia and Hayley Matthews opened the batting for Mumbai Indians and Renuka Thakur Singh came to bowl the first over. On the first ball, there was a huge drama and RCB lost their review on the very first ball. Six runs came off the over.

MI - 6/0 (1)

Matthews slog-sweeps around the wicket with an off-cutter on the stumps. Makes good contact, but picks out the fielder. Wareham judged it beautifully at deep midwicket and reverse-cupped it just in front of the boundary rope.

MI - 27/1 (4)

The leg stump has been uprooted! 118.4kph, in-slanter from around the wicket, Yastika shifts leg-side to drive through the leg-side and ends up playing down the incorrect line. The ball beats the outside edge and crashes onto the leg-stump.

MI - 50/2 (8)

Nat Sciver-Brunt returns to work a length ball into the leg side but misses. The ball hits the angle straight and touches the batter's pad before landing on the sticks.

MI - 69/3 (11)

Sophie Molineux came to bowl her third over in the 15th over of the innings and delivered a brilliant four-run over. Now, Mumbai Indians need 43 runs in 30 balls to win the match.

MI - 93/3 (15)

Kaur has holed out. She comes down the track and can't get it off the centre, thick inside half, and Devine, just on the edge of the long-on ropes, grabs it effortlessly. Shreyanka Patil can afford to grin now. Nita Ambani had a worried expression on her face. It was the longer barrier, and Kaur fell short of clearing it.

MI - 120/4 (18)

Mumbai Indians need 12 runs off the final over after a brilliant 19th over by Sophie Molineux. She got S Sajana stumped out on the fifth delivery and Pooja Vastrakar, the new batter took a single on the last delivery. She will be on the strike.

MI - 124/5 (19)

Asha Sobhana successfully defended 12 runs in the final over against set batters Amelia Kerr and Pooja Vastrakar. She gave just six runs and also got the wicket of Vastrakar after Ghosh stumped her on the fourth delivery. With 7 runs needed off the last ball, she bowled wide outside off which Kerr tried to reach but couldn't and RCB won the match by 5 runs.

MI - 130/6 (20)

Royal Challengers Bangalore Women have successfully defended the lowest total in the history of the WPL when it was mostly needed and with that win, they have entered the final clash set against Delhi Capitals Women on Sunday at the same venue.

We bowled quite effectively, holding them to under 140. Batting was also outstanding, but we struggled in the final 12 balls. We only needed one boundary in 12 balls, and we couldn't get it. This game always educates you and puts you under pressure; you must learn from it. When we lost my wicket, our batters couldn't keep their cool; it was the tipping point. We saw SS (Sajana) this weekend; she can hit hard, and that is what the WPL can do: develop new players. We battled really hard; this season has been up and down for us; last season we performed admirably, but we learned a lot, and maybe next season we will prepare properly and return strong.

What a contest. This emotion has yet to sink in. At the midway point, we believed we were 20 runs short. But the way we bowled and fielded was incredible. 130 is a total where you are unsure whether to attack or protect, but Asha's last over was incredible. [Turning point?] Definitely Harman's wicket. That over from Shreyanka, as well as Sophie's 19th over, made a significant difference because Sajana is also a terrific hitter. [About Perry] What do I say about her now? She is a renowned for maintaining her composure while being three wickets behind. Even when she returned, she advised us to remain calm and focused. It feels unbelievable. After the last match, we believed we were playing wonderful cricket; winning the toss was fantastic, but at 30/3, I was wondering what I had done. 130-odd and cricket is a hilarious game, which is what taught me to persevere. I'm overjoyed that RCB is in the final. One more day of solid training, and then return the next day.

We are overjoyed to get the opportunity to participate in the final. It's wonderful to defend such a modest total. The girls remained cool, and the spinners delivered an outstanding performance at the conclusion. You must seize the chance when it arises. Nice for me, the last two of games have gone my way. It's amazing how we managed to remain cool in the face of such a strong opponent. The girls have come together since last season, and we have thoroughly enjoyed each other's company on and off the pitch. Overall, we stuck in there, the girls continued contributing, and the old adage about getting runs on the board in a big game probably rings true, as it did today. Can't wait [for the final].

Royal Challengers Bangalore Women have beaten Mumbai Indians Women by 5 runs in a close encounter and now entered the final of WPL 2024 Final. We will join on the final, until then, it's a goodbye from our side. Goodnight!