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Following Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) win over Mumbai Indians (MI) in their final league stage Women's Premier League (WPL) match, the team's star batter Ellyse Perry reflected on side's up-and-down season, which saw them crash to five successive losses after starting out with two wins before finally getting a win in their final group stage game.
A high-scoring affair at Lucknow mesmerised the spectators as RCB successfully defended 199 and left MI tattering. RCB's victory turned out to be a favour for Delhi Capitals (DC), as they stayed at the summit and directly qualified for the final for the third successive time in as many seasons. Speaking on JioHotstar following the match, Perry termed the ongoing season, which concluded for RCB with three wins, five losses and fourth-place finish, as a "tricky one". "We started with some really strong wins and ended on a high note with another victory tonight. But in between, we lost some close games and had a few performances that weren't up to our standards, which is a bit disappointing. That said, it has been an incredibly enjoyable season in an amazing competition," she added. Perry said that playing for RCB is a "fantastic experience" and support from fans, especially the home crowd at Chinnaswammy Stadium has been "incredible". "Playing for RCB has been a fantastic experience, especially because of the fans. The support we receive, particularly in Bengaluru, has been incredible, but it has been equally enjoyable to see fans turning up for us across different venues. It's hard to pick a favorite venue, but Chinnaswamy Stadium is special for us. However, the matches in Baroda at the start of the tournament were brilliant, and playing in Mumbai and Lucknow also added great variety. Moving the competition across multiple venues has been a fantastic experience, and I hope fans have enjoyed coming out to watch the matches," she added. Perry ends her season as team's top-run-getter and overall second, with 372 runs in eight matches at an average of 93.00 and a strike rate of 148.80, with four half-centuries and best score of 90*. Coming to the match, MI won the toss and elected to field first. Sabbhineni Megha (26 in 13 balls, with four boundaries and a six) played a quickfire hand during her 41-run opening stand with skipper Smriti Mandhana (53 in 37 balls, with six fours and three sixes), who had a 59-run stand with Perry (49* in 38 balls, with five fours and a six). Richa Ghosh (36 in 22 balls, with five fours and a six) had another half-century stand with Perry while Georgia Wareham (31* in 10 balls, with five fours and a six) went ballistic towards the end, taking RCB to 199/3 in their 20 overs, with Hayley Matthews (2/37) being MI's top-wicket-taker. During the run-chase, despite the fight put on by Nat Sciver Brunt (69 in 35 balls, with nine fours and two sixes), which saw her register two fifty-run stands with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (20 in 18 balls, with two fours) and Amanjot Kaur (17), MI could make just 188/9 in their 20 overs, losing by 11 runs. Sneh Rana (3/26) was the star of RCB bowlers, while Kim Garth and Perry also got two wickets. Rana won the 'Player of the Match' award. (ANI)
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