Royal Challengers Bangalore Women (RCB) managed to bite the nails off against Mumbai Indians (MI) to advance to the final of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024. The tournament tie took place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
The match between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Mumbai Indians went down to the wire and kept many on their feet. Chasing 136 runs, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led team looked favorite to win the game as they took complete control of the game.
However, things completely changed during the end of the match. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) women picked wickets and put pressure on Mumbai Indians. With 12 runs needed in the last over, the Smriti Mandhana-led team was short of frontline players.
Captain Mandhana then approached Asha Sobhana and she made sure to pay the trust to her employer. She shot very well and defended the team’s goal. She did not concede a single boundary in her over and helped the team win the game by 5 runs.
What caught the attention of many was Asha Sobhana’s celebration after winning the game for her team. She replicated Suryakumar Yadav’s “I’m here, don’t worry” celebration. The Mumbai Indians batsman had made the same gesture after winning his team’s match against Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2020.
Here is the video:
# 👏@RCBTweets secures 5-run win over #MI with advantage of Delhi seat thriller 📍🤝
Now they will play @DelhiCapitals on March 17! ⌛️
Dashboard ▶️ | #Eliminator pic.twitter.com/0t2hZeGXNj
– Women’s Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) March 15, 2024
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Women deserve a lot of credit for the way they kept coming back into the game at crucial stages. Opting to bat first, they were left reeling at 49/4 and looked set to get out under 100. But it was Ellyse Perry, who replaced her for the team.
Ellyse Perry finished with 66 innings off 50 balls. His innings consisted of 8 fours and 1 six in his innings. Her vital role with the bat propelled Royal Challengers Bangalore women to a total of 135 runs in their quota of 20 overs.
With the ball, they picked early wickets, but during the time Mumbai Indians captain Harmanpreet Kaur (33) was batting, the game seemed to be in their hands. But Shreyanka Patil turned the game around for his team by allowing 4 runs and eliminating the opposing captain. Before Asha Sobhana won the match for RCB.
I am very happy that RCB is in the final – Smriti Mandhana
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Smriti Mandhana spoke about her team’s victory against Mumbai Indians. She admitted that feeling of hers had not sunk in. She also praised Asha Sobhana for her efforts.
He also expressed his joy at seeing Royal Challengers Bangalore in the WPL 2024 final and was hopeful of winning the title. In statements to the stations, he explained:
“What a match. Still, this feeling hasn’t sunk in. Halfway through, we felt we were 20 runs short. But the way we bowled and fielded was incredible. 130 is a total you’re not sure about of whether to attack or defend, but Asha’s last over was unreal.
“It feels unreal. After the last match we thought we were playing good cricket, winning the toss was great, but at 30/3 I thought, what have I done! 130-odd and cricket is a fun game and that’s what taught me to keep going. I am very happy that RCB is in the final. One more day of good training and return the next day,” he concluded.