Vadodara, Feb 17 Captain Smriti Mandhana lit up the Monday night sky at the Kotambi Stadium by hitting 81 off 47 balls, her highest score in the Women's Premier League (WPPL), as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru thrashed Delhi Capitals by eight wickets to continue their unbeaten run in the ongoing season.
After Renuka Singh Thakur and Georgia Wareham picked three wickets in an impressive bowling performance from RCB to bowl out DC for 141, Smriti and Danni Wyatt-Hodge came out all guns blazing to share a 107-run stand for the opening wicket.
Smriti, though, shone the brightest by putting out an exhibition of classy strokeplay while hitting ten fours and three sixes in her knock coming at a strike rate of 172.34. Her match-winning efforts meant RCB are now at the top of the points table with a win set to boost their net run rate.
Chasing 143, Smriti was elegant from the word go by pulling and clipping Marizanne Kapp for two fours. She quelled the off-spin threat from Minnu Mani by sweeping her twice for fours and was aided by mis-fields too. Danni got two boundaries off Shikha Pandey, one of which came off a mis-field again.
Smriti’s scintillating touch continued when she thumped Arundhati Reddy over long-off for six before Danni sliced Shikha twice for two fours to close the Power-play at 57/0. The duo then took a four each off Jess Jonassen and Annabel Sutherland respectively to keep RCB steady in the chase.
Against the left-arm spin of Jess Jonassen, Smriti stepped out to drive her for a boundary, before going back to pull through square leg for another boundary and got her fifty off just 27 balls with a single. Danni got a lifeline on 34 when Jemimah Rodrigues dropped her catch at deep extra cover.
Marizanne’s nightmarish game continued when Smriti sent a short ball flying over deep mid-wicket for six with a delightful pull, while Danni drove a fuller ball through cover for a boundary. The 107-run opening stand ended when Jemimah held Danni’s catch by charging in at deep cover off Arundhati Reddy’s bowling.
But there was no stopping Smriti – backing away to dispatch Annabel for four and driving plus dispatching Jess for four and six respectively. However, her knock ended on 81 when she shuffled across to scoop, but was caught by the short fine leg fielder off Shikha’s bowling. But it was too little and too late for DC as Ellyse Perry and Richa Ghosh completed the chase with 22 balls to spare.
Brief scores:
Delhi Capitals 141 in 19.3 overs (Jemimah Rodrigues 34, Sarah Bryce 23; Renuka Singh Thakur 3-23, Georgia Wareham 3-25) lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru 146/2 in 16.2 overs (Smriti Mandhana 81, Danni Wyatt-Hodge 42; Arundhati Reddy 1-25, Shikha Pandey 1-27) by eight wickets
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