Renowned Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry showcased exceptional performance for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Women’s Premier League match against Mumbai Indians. Perry achieved remarkable bowling figures of six wickets for 15 runs, followed by a significant contribution of 40 unbeaten runs with the bat. Consequently, RCB secured a convincing victory over Mumbai Indians by seven wickets, securing their position in the playoffs. This victory marked RCB’s fourth win of the season, pushing them to the third position on the league table, trailing behind Delhi Capitals and Mumbai.
Perry, who hadn’t taken any wickets in the tournament until now, had an unforgettable night. She made history by recording the best bowling figures ever seen in the Women’s Premiere League. RCB chose to bowl first, and they managed to dismiss MI for 113 runs, which is their second-lowest score in WPL.
RCB had to chase down 114 runs to win. In the seventh over, they were at 39 runs but had already lost three wickets. It could have been worse if Nat Sciver and Brunt had caught two balls off Shabnim Ismail’s bowling. However, 33-year-old Perry played remarkably, scoring 40 runs off 38 balls. She partnered with Richa Ghosh, who scored 36 runs off 28 balls, and together they made an unbeaten partnership of 76 runs.This helped RCB win the match in 15 overs.
RCB finished third with eight points, while MI stayed second with ten points behind Delhi Capitals. Perry’s superb bowling performance helped RCB secure their top-three position. She took four wickets by consistently getting the ball to move back from the crease, and also trapped two batters leg-before-wicket, leaving defending champions MI struggling at 82 for 7 in 13 overs.
MI, batting first, got off to a strong start with Hayley Matthews scoring 26 and Sajeevan Sajana, promoted up the order, adding 30 runs off 35 balls.
Matthew was the aggressor at the start, using her slog shots to blast two fours and two sixes. While Renuka Singh was on the line for Matthews in the third over, Sajana picked Sophie Molineux in the fifth over for special treatment.
However, Sophie Devine ended the powerplay dismissing Matthews, who holed out to Perry brought RCB back to the game.
Perry bowled deliveries just outside the off-stump, which led to both Sanjana and Harmanpreet Kaur getting out as the ball hit their stumps. This put MI at 65 for 3 in 9 overs. Sanjana scored 5 boundaries and a six in her 21-ball innings.
Perry continued to trouble the MI batsmen, trapping Amelia Kerr for 2 runs and cleaning up Amanjot Kaur for 4 runs in the 11th over. In her final over, Perry knocked over Pooja Vastrakar’s off-stump for 6 runs and then deceived Nat Sciver-Brunt with another delivery that moved inward, resulting in her taking a record six-wicket haul.
Perry’s performance was sensational, as she took six wickets in just 15 balls. Asha Sobhana, Molineux, and Shreyanka Patil also contributed by taking one wicket each. Priyanka Bala, who replaced Yastika Bhatia in the lineup, scored 19 runs off 18 balls, hitting two sixes. MI finished with a low total in 19 overs, and this was only the second time they’ve been bowled out in WPL.
