Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], January 12 : An explosive 137-run stand between Grace Harris and skipper Smriti Mandhana powered RCB to a nine-wicket win in their Women's Premier League (WPL) clash at Navi Mumbai on Monday.
Earlier, RCB had put UPW to bat first and had reduced them to 50/5, before Deepti Sharma (45*) and Deandra Dottin (40*) helped the team recover enough to reach a fighting 143/5, with Nadine de Klerk and Shreyanka Patil getting two wickets each. In the chase, Grace displayed some excellent ball-striking in her 40-ball 85, while Smriti stayed unbeaten at 47* towards the end. This is RCB's second win in a row, while UPW's second successive loss.
During the chase of 144, Grace Harris started off the innings with two fours in the first over against Deepti Sharma, while skipper Smriti chipped in with boundaries against her compatriots Kranti Gaud and Shikha Pandey.
Shikha and Kranti continued to leak runs against the hard-hitting duo as RCB reached 46 runs in just five overs.
Deandra Dottin's final over of the powerplay was brutal, as Grace smashed her for three sixes and fours each, and the bowler also bowled a no-ball and a wide each, giving away a massive 32 runs. Grace reached her fifty in 22 balls, with seven fours and three sixes as RCB ended the powerplay at 78/0. This was the joint-most expensive over in WPL history and the fourth instance of a batter reaching the 50-run mark during the powerplay.
Mandhana also picked up some boundaries against spinners Asha Shobhana and Sophie Ecclestone while Grace was looking unstoppable. RCB reached the 100-run mark in 7.5 overs.
At the end of 10 overs, RCB was 121/0, with Grace (76*) and Smriti (40*) unbeaten.
The 137-run stand was over courtesy of Shikha as a fine catch by Lanning removed Grace for a 40-ball 85, with 10 fours and five sixes. But with three runs needed in eight overs, it was too, too late.
RCB ended their chase at 145/1 in 12.1 overs, with Smriti (47* in 32 balls, with nine fours) and Richa Ghosh (4*) unbeaten.
Earlier, Deepti Sharma and Deandra Dottin's 93-run stand for the 6th wicket helped UP Warriorz to reach 143/5 in their 20 overs.
The two batters first steadied the innings and then gradually lifted the tempo, putting on a vital 93-run partnership. In the final over, Deepti went berserk, slamming 15 runs off the last six balls, including three boundaries.
RCB won the toss and opted to bowl. UP Warriorz got off to a sloppy start, managing just 21 runs in the first four overs, with Meg Lanning and Harleen Deol at the crease.
RCB's bowlers were spot on with their tight line and lengths, forcing Harleen (11) to get adventurous, but she ended up handing Lauren Bell a catch.
Warriorz power-play ended on a modest 36-1, with Phoebe Litchfield and Meg Lanning at the crease. After the power-play, RCB's bowlers turned up the heat, striking at regular intervals, and Warriorz crumbled, losing four wickets in just eight balls, plummeting to 50/5. Litchfield's 20 was a lone bright spot, but RCB's bowling onslaught did the damage. Skipper Lanning (14), Kiran Navgire (5) and Shweta Sehrawat (0) did not get to do much. The dangerous cocktail of Shreyanka Patil's spin and Nadine de Klerk's pace was too much for UPW.
Deandra Dottin and Deepti Sharma took Warriorz' innings forward, chipping singles and rotating the strike with ease. Warriorz crossed the 100-run mark in the 16th over. The duo added a solid 50-run stand for the sixth wicket, turning the tide towards Warriorz after a terrible collapse.
After the 16th over, UPW were struggling at 100/5, but Dottin and Deepti shifted gears in the final four overs. The duo unleashed a scoring frenzy, smashing 43 runs off 24 balls, taking UPW to a respectable 143 at the end of 20 overs. Their explosive batting turned the innings around, with Deepti top-scoring with 45* (in 35 balls, with five fours and a six) and Dottin chipping in with 40* (in 37 balls, with two fours and a six).
Nadine (2/28) and Shreyanka (2/50) were in the thick of things with the ball, while pacer Lauren Bell (1/16 in four overs) once again stole the show with her economy rate of just four.
Brief Scores: UPW: 143/5 in 20 overs (Deepti Sharma 45*, Deandra Dottin 40*, Nadine de Klerk 2/28) lost to RCB: 145/1 in 12.1 overs (Grace Harris 85, Smriti Mandhana 47*, Shikha Pandey 1/28).
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