Royal Challengers vs Indians: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) took on the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru for the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025 on February 21, 2025. The Bengaluru phase of the tournament kicked off with the last minute thriller as MI edged out RCB by 4 wickets in dramatic fashion.
Royal Challengers vs Indians: Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Innings
After winning the toss, MI’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur chose to field first in hopes of taking advantage of the early bowling-friendly conditions. RCB’s skipper, Smriti Mandhana, started aggressively scoring four boundaries and a six within the first overs. Although she attempted to hit Shabnim Ismail for a six, she ended up losing her wicket after scoring 26 runs off of 13 balls. Yastika Bhatia successfully caught her pull attempt which would send her to the dressing room.
Mandhana’s loss led to a collapse in RCB’s upper middle order. Danni Wyatt-Hodge \aside{9}, Raghvi Bist \aside{1}, and Kanika Ahuja \aside{0} led to RCB struggling at 57 runs for 4 wickets by the eighth over. MI’s bowlers, with particular focus on Amanjot Kaur, totally captured the situation from the start with Amanjot setting the pace and ending with an excellent spell of 3 for 22.
In the middle of it all, Ellyse Perry changed the narrative as she was the RCB’s backbone. Perry constructed an incredible 81 runs on just 43 balls, essentially being the sole reason why RCB were able to reach a respectable score. She and Richa Ghosh, who scored 28 runs, put together a partnership that enabled the innings to recover once more. However, the effort was insufficient as RCB concluded the innings at 167 for 7 in the 20 overs that were set.
Royal Challengers vs Indians: Mumbai Indians’ Chase
While on the other hand, as the target was set at 168, MI started off thier innings with a strong begining.
Yastika Bhatia and Hayley Matthews took advantage of the fielding restrictions and propelled MI to 66 for 2 in the powerplay which was the joint-best powerplay performance of the season. Nat Sciver-Bunt also helped accelerate the innings with an aggressive show of 42 runs scored in 21 balls with several powerful hits.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur brought the innings under control with a fine fifty scored in 38 balls. A mix of intelligent shot-making and well-timed boundaries helped MI stay in the contest, but the game shifted gears in the 18th over when Georgia Wareham rattled Kaur and S. Sajana off back to back balls which tightened the chase.
Amanjot Kaur stayed calm under pressure with 22 runs needed from the last two overs. In the second to last over of the game, Kaur made the needed points with sixes off Kanika Ahuja which brought MI closer than ever to winning the match. In the final over, with two runs off two balls, G. Kamalini drove Ekta Bisht’s ball through the covers for a boundary which marked the winning moment. MI camp celebrated wildly.
Royal Challengers vs Indians: Key Performances and Turning Points
Perry’s 81 runs have single handedly dragged the RCB innings back into the game after early blows, which is perhaps where her experience reflects most.
Amanjot Kaur’s All-Round Brilliance: Her exceptional bowling figures of 3 for 22, along with a match-winning unbeaten 34 off 27 balls, made her the clear Player of the Match.
G. Kamalini’s Nerve Under Pressure: The prodigal teenager’s boundary in the last over showcased her level-headedness as well as a glimpse of the star she is bound to become.
Royal Challengers vs Indians: Strategic Insights
Just like the MI’s decision to field first, the breaks from their bowlers enforced RCB’s batting collapse. The seasoned bowler Shabnim Ismail was effortlessly controlling the game alongside brilliant fielding by MI, which reduced RCB’s chances of scoring. During batting powerplay, MI’s aggressive approach made scoring straightforward, and RCB bowlers were unable to contain the runs.
Royal Challengers vs Indians: Post-Match Reflections
In retrospect, RCB captain Smriti Mandhana stated that the team should do better in crucial moments of the game and accept their powerful starts along with strong finishes. Personally, Kaur was impressed by the outstanding efforts of lower order players Amanjot Kaur and G. Kamalini, who, as we know, showed great potential.
This match highlighted – once again – the rivalrous nature of the Women’s Premier League as well as the caliber of talent present in both of the sides. Going forward into the tournament, both of them will look to improve their game plans, with RCB trying to recover and MI looking to keep the win streak going.
For those of you who could not enjoy the game live, there is a recording of the match’s highlights which showcases the game’s most thrilling moments alongside the most notable plays of the match.
To conclude, the Royal Challengers versus Indians game in the WPL 2025 was a showcase of electricity cricket with MI taking the win over RCB in the nailbiting contest.
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