Recent Match Report - RCB Women vs UPW Women 2nd Match 2023/24

Royal Challengers Bangalore 157 for six (Ghosh 62, Meghana 53, Gayakwad 2-24) beat UP Warriorz 155 for 7 (Harris 38, Sehrawat 31, Asha 5-22) by two runs

5 wanted from one ball – that was the requirement on the opening night time of WPL 2024, and it was the identical on the second. Whereas Delhi Capitals couldn’t defend that, Royal Challengers Bangalore did, and received their marketing campaign off to a successful begin within the backdrop of a ballistic house crowd on the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

As soon as once more, it was an unheralded Indian participant who shone the brightest – Sobhana Asha’s five-wicket haul derailed UP Warriorz’s chase of 158 to assist RCB defend a complete for the primary time. They’d by no means managed to take action in 4 makes an attempt within the first season.

At one level, Grace Harris, who scored 38 off 23 balls, threatened to take Warriorz house however Asha’s spell had them falling quick by two runs.

Asha, the hope

Her Twitter deal with is ashathehopejoy; Asha interprets to hope. She was a determine of hope and pleasure in Bengaluru, altering the sport twice. After Sophie Molineux dismissed Alyssa Healy with a peach, Vrinda Dinesh and Tahlia McGrath added 38 off 41 balls. When the pair tried to interrupt free, Asha had Vrinda stumped for 18 off 28. A few balls later, she castled McGrath who tried to brush a ball that was too full.

Harris and Shweta Sehrawat put the chase again on observe by including 77 in simply 46 balls. With 32 required from 4 overs, Smriti Mandhana turned to Asha once more. She delivered a triple-wicket over, dismissing Sehrawat, Harris and Kiran Navgire to finish her five-for and ship the jitters within the opposition camp.

Sobhana Asha is pumped up after dismissing Tahlia McGrath•BCCI

The Harris-Sehrawat present

Sehrawat is approaching the again of a profitable home season the place she was Delhi’s main run-getter within the Senior Girls’s T20 Trophy whereas placing at 122.45. Warriorz have been 49 for 3 within the ninth over when she joined Harris within the center. Whereas Sehrawat took her time on a used pitch, Harris stored the scoreboard ticking.

Harris hit legspinner Georgia Wareham for back-to-back fours within the tenth over earlier than smashing Asha for a six within the subsequent. She managed to search out the boundary commonly earlier than Sehrawat attacked Ellyse Perry. A few balls after slapping one by cover-point, she deposited a back-of-a-length ball over deep midwicket. Harris then despatched Molineux into the deep-midwicket stands to finish the fifteenth over. All that sequence meant Warriorz scored 30 in two overs.

Meghana steadies RCB

The decibel ranges soared when Mandhana hit a six and a 4 off successive balls within the second over after RCB have been despatched in. However they quickly misplaced Sophie Devine lbw to Grace Harris, who opened the bowling, for 1.

From there on, S Meghana took over. Her intentions of taking the aerial route with the sphere up have been clear from the second she walked in. As soon as she received her timing proper, she hit Harris for 3 fours within the fifth over. She had luck on her aspect as properly – Sehrawat couldn’t grasp the ball after a diving effort at deep midwicket when Meghana was on 16, and McGrath shelled one within the seventh over when the batter was on 22.

Richa Ghosh bludgeoned her way to a 31-ball half-century

Richa Ghosh bludgeoned her option to a 31-ball half-century•BCCI

Meghana confirmed why she is regarded extremely along with her footwork, particularly towards the left-arm spin of Rajeshwari Gayakwad. She hit her solely six off Gayakwad – a loft over further cowl – earlier than finishing a 40-ball half-century. However within the seventeenth over, she gave Gayakwad the cost and was stumped.

Ghosh ups the tempo

Regardless of dropping their third wicket within the eighth over, RCB didn’t maintain Richa Ghosh again. Curbing her aggression, she centered on rotating the strike and her first couple of fours have been extra contact than energy. She moved steadily to a run-a-ball 16 earlier than WPL debutant Saima Thakor’s second over helped her lower free.

Ghosh pummelled the seamer for 4 fours within the 14th over to ship the ball to totally different components of the bottom – by backward level, over mid-off, between long-on and deep midwicket and thru sq. leg, respectively. A little bit later, she hit 5 fours throughout two overs from McGrath on her option to a 31-ball half-century.

Regardless of that, Warriorz gave away solely 32 within the final 4 overs, and if not for Ghosh’s blitz, RCB might need ended properly beneath 150.