INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians registered another thumping success on Monday to establish themselves as clear favourites in the early stages of
the inaugural Womens Premier League
Mumbai consolidated their top area in the standings with 2 big wins in 2 games in the tournament.Harmanpreet Kaur-led side produced a
dominant performance at Brabourne arena to thrash Royal Challengers Bangalore by nine wickets
As it took place|Points Table|Arrange - & ResultSmriti Mandhana chose to bat first, however RCB stopped working to bat out their quota of 20
overs and were bowled out for 155 in 18.4 overs
MI then chased down the below-par target in simply 14.2 overs with nine wickets in hand
West Indian all-rounder Hayley Matthews shone with both bat and ball, leading the run chase with an unbeaten 77 off 38 balls after returning
figures of 3 for 28 earlier with the ball
Matthews took MI house conveniently with Nat Sciver-Brunt, 55 not out off 29, as her partner
The duo included unbeaten 114 runs for the second wicket in just 9.2 overs.Matthews and Yastika Bhatia (23 off 19) included a fast 45 runs,
inside 5 overs, for the opening wicket to provide MI a perfect start in their chase
And they did not look back after that and caused RCB their 2nd defeat in 2 games.MI, who won the very first video game by 143 runs against
Gujarat Giants, now have 4 points from two matches with a net run rate (NRR) of 5.185
Matthews yet again created a defining collaboration with Englands Sciver-Brunt, with the 2 right-handed batters hammering the RCB bowlers
all over the park to place on an unbeaten 114-run stand for the 2nd wicket.If Matthews produced an all-round show to assist Mumbai Indians
to their 2nd win, the uncapped Saika Ishaque also impressed once again, grabbing 2 wickets and taking her tally in the tournament to six.Nat
Sciver-Brunt, who couldnt get a great start in the opening video game, offseted the dissatisfaction on Monday by cracking an unbeaten 55 off
29 balls, studded with 10 fours and a six.Player of the Match Matthews appeared to have actually picked up from where she had actually ended
at the DY Patil Stadium the other night, playing her strokes with power, accuracy and command.Matthews hammered 13 boundaries and a 6 in her
38-ball unbeaten 77, which followed she had actually returned superb bowling figures of 4-0-28-3
She represented RCB skipper Smriti Mandhana, Heather Knight and Richa Ghosh.Matthews might have taken her fourth wicket in her last over
however Renuka Thakur thwacked the ball real difficult for the bowler to take the return catch.The only advancement for RCB was available in
the 5th over when Preeti Bose caught Yastika Bhatia in front of the wickets for a reliable 23 off 19 balls.The Mumbai wicketkeeper-batter,
who kept an eye out of sorts in the very first match, broke the shackles with a non-traditional shot that got her the very first 4 of the
innings, and she succeeded to help forge a 45-run first-wicket stand.Sciver-Brunt took a taste for Shreyanka Patil in the eighth over,
clobbering three borders to put Mumbai Indians in nearly a run-a-ball circumstance from thereon
Sciver-Brunt and Matthews took on Patil when again, this time in the 13th over, with 3 fours and a six getting them 20 runs.Earlier, RCB
fought back with useful contributions from their lower order as they recovered from a batting collapse to reach 155 in 18.4 overs.After a
bright start supplied by captain Smriti Mandhana (23 off 17 balls, 5 fours), RCB lost 4 wickets in 8 balls to slip from 39/0 to 43/4 between
the 4th and the fifth over.The damage was triggered by Saika Ishaque and Hayley Matthews, who in addition to New Zealands Amelia Kerr shared
seven wickets in between them.But credit to RCB batters-- Richa Ghosh (28 ), Kanika Ahuja (22 ), debutant Shreyanka Patil (23) and Megan
Schutt (20)-- who not just got some much-needed runs however likewise took the groups total beyond 150, which looked challenging at one
stage.(With inputs from PTI)
