WPL 2023: Royal Challengers Bangalore register first win beating UP Warriorz by 5 wickets

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeated UP Warriorz (UPW) by five wickets registering their first win the in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) match held at DY Patil Sports Academy.

The match witnessed bowlers dominating the game, but RCB batters held their nerve to chase down the target of 136 runs. Kanika Ahuja’s brilliant innings of 46 runs was the highlight of RCB’s chase, which also saw Richa Ghosh contributing with an unbeaten 31 runs.

RCB registered their first win of the WPL and moved to No. 4 on the points table. Ahuja’s knock of 46 runs was well supported by Ghosh, who slammed an outstanding six and a boundary in the 16th over to guide RCB to victory.

Earlier, Deepti Sharma bagged two wickets, while Sophie Ecclestone and Devika Vaidya scalped one wicket each for UPW. Smriti Mandhana, the RCB captain, returned to the pavilion on a duck, but Heather Knight and Ellyse Perry managed to gather singles and eased some pressure off their team.

However, Devika Vaidya removed Perry for just 10 runs, and Deepti Sharma dismissed Knight for 24 runs. The partnership between Ghosh and Ahuja then took RCB to victory.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) started the match against UP Warriorz (UPW) on a high note, as their bowlers restricted UPW to 135 runs in 19.3 overs.

RCB’s Ellyse Perry picked up three wickets while Sophie Devine and Asha Shobana took two wickets each. Grace Harris was UPW’s highest scorer with 46 runs off 32 balls, while Kiran Navgire and Deepti Sharma played crucial knocks.

RCB’s decision to field first paid off as Devine struck twice in the first over, dismissing Devika Vaidya and Alyssa Healy for a duck and one run respectively. Megan Schutt joined in the wicket-taking party by clearing Tahlia McGrath for two runs in the second over.

Kiran Navgire tried to stabilize the innings by slamming boundaries, but she was dismissed by Asha Shobana after scoring 22 runs off 26 balls.

Simran Shaikh was dismissed for two runs, and UPW found themselves in trouble at 5 wickets down.

However, Deepti Sharma and Grace Harris held the fort and piled up runs while taking singles. The duo brought up their 50-run partnership, which included an over by Shobana that cost 16 runs.

The partnership of 69 runs off 41 balls was broken when Perry dismissed Deepti Sharma for 22 runs, and then Harris for 46 runs in the same over.

UPW kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were bundled out for 135 runs in the last over, as Shreyanka Patil dismissed Anjali Sarvani for nine runs.

In the second innings, RCB’s batters held their nerves and successfully chased the target of 136 runs with five wickets in hand.

Sophie Devine started off strong by slamming two boundaries and one six in Grace Harris’ over, but her stint was cut short after she handed an easy catch to Tahlia McGrath at deep mid-wicket.

Star all-rounder Deepti Sharma provided UPW with a big wicket of Smriti Mandhana, and RCB captain returned to the pavilion on a duck.

Heather Knight then joined hands with Ellyse Perry and gathered singles to remove some pressure off their shoulders. Devika Vaidya removed Perry for 10 runs, and then Deepti bagged her second wicket of the match by dismissing Knight for 24.

Kanika Ahuja slammed nine and 13 runs respectively off Harris and Rajeshwari Gayakwad with the help of three boundaries, before being dismissed by Sophie Ecclestone for 46 runs in the 16th over.

However, Richa Ghosh’s unbeaten 31 runs and her partnership with Ahuja ensured RCB’s victory over UPW.

Brief score:

• UP Warriorz 135 (Grace Harris 46, Deepti Sharma 22; Ellyse Perry 3-16)
• Royal Challengers Bangalore 136/5 (Kanika Ahuja 46, Richa Ghosh 31*; Deepti Sharma 2-26).
• Full Scorecard: WPL Live Score and Match Result