MUMBAI: Royal Challengers Bangalore continued to fight for another day as they notched their maiden five-wicket victory over UP Warriorz after five consecutive defeats in the Women’s Premier League in Navi MumbaiI on March 15. After a collective show from their bowlers led by Ellyse Perry, whose 3/16 ensured UP Warriorz were bowled out for a moderate 135 in 19.3 overs, RCB sailed past the target with 20-yearold Kanika Ahuja playing the match-winning knock of 46 off 30 balls with eight fours and one six.
She put on a 60-run stand with India keeper Richa Ghosh (31 not out from 32 balls, 3x4s, 1x6s) who played the second fiddle to perfection.Ahuja and Ghosh had joined forces at a stage from where the game could have gone either way, with RCB having lost four wickets with 60 runs on the board and a tricky challenge in front of them. RCB had a poor start, losing the in-form Sophie Devine for 14 after early aggression, and captain Smriti Mandhana (0), who had to endure yet another flop show with the bat. The RCB captain was cleaned up by Deepti Sharma off the third ball she faced.
The right-arm seamer halted UP Warriorz’s charge when the pair of Grace Harris (46) and Deepti (22) threatened to take the game away from RCB, and also accounted for Shweta Sehrawat (6) to record figures of 4-0-16-3. Harris missed a deserving half-century, falling for 46 off 32 balls with five fours and two sixes.Harris and Deepti led the recovery for UP Warriorz - tottering at one stage at 31/5 - with a brisk 69-run stand that took them past the 100-run mark. Harris made most of a lifeline given by
Richa Ghosh, who missed a regulation stumping off Sobhana Asha when the batter was only on nine. Earlier before the start of the contest, the former RCB captain Virat Kohli met the team and also had a talk with Mandhana, whose torrid run with the bat continued.
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