Royal Challengers Bangalore Women have been ruled out of the ongoing inaugural season of Women’s Premier League after Gujarat Giants lost their last league match to UP Warriorz Women at the Brabourne Stadium today.
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First team to play eight WPL 2023 league matches, Giants also became the first team to lose six matches this season. Apart from confirming an elimination for themselves, Gujarat also ensured a similar fortune for Royal Challengers to be among two teams who won’t qualify for WPL 2023 playoffs.
A 180-run chase wasn’t the easiest of tasks for Warriorz to accomplish but winning tough battles is the nature of top teams. Although captain Alyssa Healy (12) couldn’t contribute as well as she would’ve liked, her teammates sealed the chase with three wickets and a ball remaining in the match.
Having scored individual half-centuries, UP all-rounders Tahlia Mcgrath (57) and Grace Harris (72) shared a match-winning 53-ball 78-run fourth-wicket partnership. Other than the two Australian cricketers, England spinner Sophie Ecclestone (1/27 & 19*) also held her nerve during the business end of the match.
McGrath, who is not related to legendary Australian pacer Glenn McGrath, hit 11 fours at a strike rate of 150 to negate an advantage to the opposition after they picked three wickets in the powerplay. Harris, on the other hand, hit seven fours and four sixes at a strike rate of 175.60 to emerge as a deserving candidate of the Player of the Match award.
Is there any chance for RCB to qualify for playoffs of WPL 2023?
No. Already finding it exceedingly difficult to qualify for the playoffs on the back of five consecutive losses to start their journey, RCB desperately needed a favour from GG for them to stay alive for playoffs’ contention. With Giants not managing to secure a victory on a Monday evening, Bangalore have been eliminated from WPL 2023.
Currently at the fourth position with only four points under their belt, Royal Challengers won’t be able to get to the third position even if they win their last match against Mumbai Indians Women tomorrow. Unlike most other T20 leagues, only three teams will qualify for playoffs in the WPL.
