Royal Challengers Bangalore Women’s woes continued in their last league match of the ongoing inaugural season of Women’s Premier League against Mumbai Indians Women at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy.
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RCB were asked to bat first after Mumbai Indians captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss after seven consecutive losses. What followed was a substandard performance on the part of the Royal Challengers as all they could manage in their 20-over quota were 125/9.
Although at highly contrasting strike rates of 76.31 and 223.07 respectively, Bangalore all-rounder Elysse Perry (29) and wicket-keeper batter Richa Ghosh (29) top-scored for them today.
Indians all-rounder Amelia Kerr did most of the damage as her bowling figures of 4-0-22-3 comprised dismissals of the likes of Smriti Mandhana (24), Heather Knight (12) and Kanika Ahuja (12). Apart from Kerr, English pace-bowling options in Nat Sciver-Brunt and Issy Wong picked a couple of wickets each in Navi Mumbai on a Tuesday afternoon.
A 36-ball 53-run opening partnership between Hayley Matthews (24) and Yastika Bhatia (30) had provided early signs of MI running away with the run-chase but it wasn’t to be as they could only register a 4-wicket victory in the 17th over. Kerr (31*) was at the helm amid fall of wickets from other end to seal the chase.
Will RCB qualify for WPL 2023 playoffs?
No. UP Warriorz defeating Gujarat Giants in the first of two matches yesterday had confirmed an exit for both Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore. Readers must note that RCB would’ve never qualified for WPL 2023 playoffs even if they had secured a victory in their last match.
One of the strongest teams on paper, Bangalore have been eliminated from the competition after winning two but losing six out of their eight league matches. With only four points under their belt, Royal Challengers have finished the first season of the competition at the fourth position on the points table.
How Many Teams Will Qualify For Playoffs in WPL?
It is worth mentioning that the Top Three teams will qualify for WPL 2023 playoffs. While the table-topper will automatically qualify for the final, the second and third-ranked teams will lock horns in a virtual semi-final named ‘Eliminator’ on Friday.
Mumbai, Delhi Capitals Women and Warriorz are the three teams whose qualification was confirmed about 24 hours ago. Assuming Delhi are able to beat UP in the last league match tonight, they are highly likely to replace MI at the top of the table.
