WPL 2023, RCB vs GG blog: Sophie Devine’s sensational 99 takes RCB to a big win

That will be all for the blog. One of the games of the tournament that, just for the sheer entertainment value. Sunday is a rest day, followed by another double-header on Monday.

RCB win by 8 wickets: So RCB keep their slim hopes of top three alive. DC are through to the playoffs. UP Warriorz’ win today vs MI makes it their spot to lose. GG are all but out.

Player of the match: Sophie Devine. Are you surprised?

Smriti Mandhana on Devine’s innings: My thought was I just need popcorn.

Harsha Bhogle: Sorry the whole interview turned out to be about Devine.

Ellyse Perry (after waxing eloquent about Devine the cricketer and the human): Don’t be, that’s the best interview I have done

RCB win by 8 wickets & 27 balls to spare: RCB’s Net Run Rate improves to -1.044. Giants might actually be might out of the tournament based on that NRR. We’ll confirm that later.

CONFIRMED QUALIFICATION: Another “Q”. And with win for RCB, Delhi Capitals have qualified for the playoffs to join Mumbai Indians.

RCB 189/2 (15.3 overs): RCB win by 8 wickets & 27 balls to spare! Thanks to Sophie Devine’s stunning knock, RCB get the big win that they needed.

RCB 183/2 (15 overs): A four for Knight off Garth but it is only 7 runs in that over. Keep an eye on that RCB NRR... it’s at -1.550 now.

RCB 176/2 (14 overs): Knight tries for a couple of reverse sweeps, no contact. A 8-run over feels like an anomaly.

RCB 168/2 (13 overs): Knight with two fours as Gardner has a night to forget with the ball.

ISL final, ATK Mohun Bagan vs Bengaluru FC : ATK MOHUN BAGAN ARE CHAMPIONS.

RCB 157/2 (12 overs): NOT A CENTURY! Ashwani takes a lovely high catch as Devine went for a shot down the ground. Could have hit a single but she wasn’t going to. End of the innings of the WPL so far. 99 off 36 balls! Garth strikes.

Would have been fitting if either Alyssa Healy or Sophie Devine scored the first century off the WPL. Healy came within one shot of it and now Devine is getting there. She is on 91.

RCB 149/1 (11 overs): Ashwani comes in for her first over, Devine hits the first ball to six. Of course. Another four for her in that over. Perry finishes the over with a four too.

RCB 131/1 (10 overs): Perry gets going with a four down the ground.

RCB 125/1 (9.2 overs): WICKET! Mandhana is out again to the offspinner. Decent innings today but still so uncomfortable against the turning ball. Lobs this back to Rana. Mandhana c & b Rana 37 (31 balls)

RCB 125/0 (9 overs): SOPHIE SOPHIE! WOW. 25 runs in that Kanwer over. 6-4-6-6. The 94m six was sent in to the club zone.

RCB 100/0 (8 overs): And this one of the biggest sixes you will see. 83m! IT is the biggest in fact. Devine dances down and lofts Deol down the ground. Half century comes up as well.

RCB 90/0 (7 overs): The answer is no for Gardner bouncing back, for now. Devine finishes the over with a huge six, started the over with a four too.

Can Gardner bounce back?

RCB 77/0 (6 overs): A four each for Mandhana and Devine in that Garth over.

Pace to Mandhana. This could be another big over.

RCB 68/0 (5 overs): Still not entirely sure against the off spin but Mandhana finds the boundary off Rana. Devine finishes the over with another four. What a start this is.

RCB 57/0 (4 overs): Is that the over Mandhana needed? 6-4 (no ball)-4 off Kanwer as she breaks the shackles! She even had a little smile on her face there.

RCB 39/0 (3 overs): That Devine explosion has given a little bit of room for Mandhana but her struggles are evident. Five dot balls in that Rana over, and a double. She is so tentative at the moment.

RCB 37/0 (2 overs): The most expensive over of the match so far, 24 runs off it! Sophie Devine has taken Ash Gardner on and how. Four, six, four, four, six in the over and Devine continues to look... (avoiding a divine pun) pristine in the powerplay.

RCB 13/0 (1 over): Five wides, four leg byes in the over meant that the pressure was on Kim Garth anyway but Mandhana’s four towards fine leg adds to it. Two more wides later and Sushma Verma ought to bounce back from that keeping. 13 runs off the over.

Sophie Devine and Smriti Mandhana in the middle for RCB. Kim Garth to open the bowling for GG.

GG innings: It was a solid performance from Laura Wolvaardt at the top, followed by peak Ash Gardner stuff. But just when it looked like Shreyanka Patil at death had restricted the run flow, Harleen Deol and Dayalan Hemalatha ensured a final over flourish. A big chase awaits RCB and the pressure is on.

GG 188/3 (20 overs): 22 runs off the over! Megan Schutt lost the plot after her plan to bowl full at the stumps was dislodged. Both Harleen Deol and Dayalan Hemalatha score a six and four each to ensure a strong finish.

GG 161/4 (18.3 overs): WICKET! Ash Gardner also departs. Shreyanka Patil with the breakthrough again. This could be a game-changing spell, coming at death and dismissing both well-set batters. Was taken for a boundary over extra cover but the spinner comes back in style and Gardner is plumb. She departs for 41.

GG 156/3 (18 overs): Ash Gardner’s in the zone, ladies and gentlemen. Attacks all three flighted deliveries for a boundary. 14 runs off the over for S Asha.

GG 135/2 (16.6 overs): WICKET! Wolvaardt departs after a solid 68. Shreyanka Patil comes on to bowl her first over. Tough ask of the youngster with a well-set Wolvaardt and an almost firing Gardner. But something about the confident Karnataka all-rounder. The delivery was a low full toss but the batter’s slog sweep deposits the ball straight into Disha Kasat’s hands at mid-wicket.

GG 135/2 (16 overs): Lovely acceleration from Wolvaardt. She first deposits a slower delivery for a huge six over long on. Then, follows it up with a boundary towards fine leg. 14 runs off Schutt’s over.

GG 129/2 (15 overs): Gardner with a pull behind square for four. Eight runs off Preeti Bose’s over.

GG 105/2 (14 overs): FIFTY for Wolvaardt! Back-to-back half-centuries for the South African. It Turns out to be an expensive over from Perry. A missed direct hit opportunity in the first delivery and the bowler then Wolvardt sneaken in a boundary. Perry then loses control in the end as she concedes a wide on a no-ball and she slams a six off the half-volley. 15 runs off it.

GG 98/2 (13 overs): RCB go for a review for a catch down the leg side but lose it. Asha to Ash after that... and the Aussie goes high and long for a six down the ground. The spinner finishes the over with a seam-up almost

GG 90/2 (11.5 overs): WICKET! Four and out. Meghana gets a life. Devine lets one through the hands at long on. Then she hits a four. But next ball dances down the pitch and is stumped. That is actually not a bad wicket for GG to lose. Decent hand for Meghana but now they need more. Meghana st Ghosh b Preeti Bose 31 (32 balls)

GG 83/1 (11 overs): Meghana has steadily pushed her SR up. Short and wide from Perry, a smart shot over point. Takes her innings to run-a-ball. But Perry follows up with three dot balls. This is hurting GG now. With Gardner still sitting in dugout....

Perry back.

GG 78/1 (11 overs): Meghana with arguably the best shot of her innings so far, nailing a sweep. Wolvaardt too hits a four. Good one for GG. The 50-run stand comes up off 43 balls.

Knight’s spin has been handy so far for RCB, can she provide a breakthrough?

GG 66/1 (9 overs): Ah nearly a great predction from this blogger. Nearly. Wolvaardt is completely deceived by the turn and the leading edge loops over Asha. Could have taken it. LW finishes the over with a four

Asha will continue after the break. Could be a wicket this over, you know? As it can happen after a timeout. If GG go for a big shot, Asha’s turn can prove dangerous.

Timeout taken.

GG 58/1 (8 overs): Meghana starts off with a four off Bose but the LH bowler comes back decently.

Preeti Bose into the attack. She has been expensive in the tournament, can she justify her selection ahead of Renuka?

GG 50/1 (7 overs): Asha, who was so good in RCB’s last match, comes on and starts with a tidy over of leg spin. RCB pulling things back nicely.

GG 45/1 (6 overs): Another delightful LW cover drive (even though this one is an outside edge). But it’s a real struggle for Meghana at the other end. Four dot balls in that over, she is on 6 off 14. An even powerplay all said and done.

GG 40/1 (5 overs): Much better from Devine but Wolvaardt continues to find that mandatory boundary in the over. Five runs off it.

GG 35/1 (4 overs): Wolvaardt with a late cut behind square for four. Seven runs off Schutt’s second over.

GG 27/1 (2.4 overs): WICKET! A powerful pull from Dunkley preceded this but Devine bowls one straight to the stumps just as Dunkley was attempting to scoop one over fine leg. Ends up getting her leg-stump taken apart instead.

GG 21/0 (2 overs): Not the start RCB were looking for... we’ve heard that before. Powerplay overs are meant to be economical and here, Schutt has conceded two boundaries to Wolvaardt and 11 runs in total.

GG 11/0 (1 over): Dunkley starts strongly as she hits two boundaries in the opening over. Devine ought to rethink those lengths.

Sophia Dunkley and Laura Wolvaardt open the innings for GG. Sophie Devine opens the bowling for RCB.

7:20 pm: Important to note that GG have tinkered their batting line-up (AGAIN!) as they bring back Sabbhineni Meghana into the middle order. After multiple changes in the opening duo through this tournament, it is now the middle-order’s turn. With this move, their top-scoring batters Harleen Deol and Ashleigh Gardner, could be moved out of their positions.

Meanwhile, Renuka Singh Thakur who has picked up just one wicket in the tournament so far is finally excluded. Preeti Bose, the spinner returns.

7:10 pm: The Royal Challengers Bangalore have to worry about their chances following UP Warriorz’s five-wicket win over Mumbai Indians. Their chances are pretty much done but it remains a must-win encounter for them to keep the mathematical possibility alive. Gujarat Giants too have to win this game to edge out UP Warriorz, who look like their closest competitors at the moment.

Teams:

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Sophie Devine, Smriti Mandhana(c), Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight, Richa Ghosh(w), Kanika Ahuja, Shreyanka Patil, Disha Kasat, Megan Schutt, Asha Shobana, Preeti Bose

Gujarat Giants: Sophia Dunkley, Laura Wolvaardt, Harleen Deol, Ashleigh Gardner, Dayalan Hemalatha, Sabbhineni Meghana, Sushma Verma(w), Kim Garth, Sneh Rana(c), Tanuja Kanwer, Ashwani Kumari

TOSS: Gujarat Giants have won the toss and opted to bat first.

6:55 pm: Hello and welcome to the live coverage of Women’s Premier League. It’s match No 16 and Royal Challengers Bangalore take on Gujarat Giants in a bottom-of-the table clash.

With UP Warriorz handing Mumbai Indians their first defeat not so long ago at the DY Patil Stadium, RCB are all but out of the top-three race before this clash at CCI. They now not only need to win but win big in their last two matches and still hope for favours elsewhere. GG too will need a favour from elsewhere but at least are slightly better placed in the fact that they face UPW and can still hope to reach 8 points.

Photos / screenshots in the blog courtesy: Sportzpics / wplt20.com and JioCinema