WPL Review: Bengaluru finishes the season with a win
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women secured victory by 11 runs in Match 20 of the Women’s Premier League 2025 against Mumbai Indians Women at the Brabourne Stadium on Tuesday, March 11. This fixture marked the final group-stage game of WPL 2025.
Much like her previous game, Sabbhineni Meghana departed after getting off to a blistering start. After a lean patch, skipper Smriti Mandhana finally clicked into action with a brisk knock. Smriti looked well-set for a sizeable score, only to depart shortly after getting to her half-century. Wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh provided the requisite momentum in the Bengaluru innings.
She combined superbly with Ellyse Perry to take the score to 150. Georgia Wareham came out to bat after the dismissal of Richa. It was a blinding 10-ball 31-run cameo from her that led Bengaluru to 199/3 at the end of their innings. Perry remained unbeaten on 49. Amanjot Kaur was the pick of the bowlers from the home team. Despite an 18-run fourth over, she ended up conceding only 27 in her four overs.
Coming to the run-chase, Mumbai lost their opening batters within the powerplay itself. It was courtesy of a double strike by Sneh Rana. Nat Sciver-Brunt started striking the ball well after the dismissal of Harmanpreet Kaur for an 18-ball 20. She brought up her fourth WPL 2025 fifty and looked good for more. However, she ended up offering a caught-and-bowled opportunity to Perry.
The last five overs were characterised by wickets falling at regular intervals. All of Amanjot, Yastika Bhatia, G Kamalini, and Sanskriti Gupta were dismissed in successive overs. Some late power-hitting by Sajeevan Sajana made it seem that Mumbai could still win the game, but it was not to be. Bengaluru ended up winning their first game after five losses on the trot.
Top Performers of the match
Nat Sciver-Brunt (69 off 35)
The English all-rounder once again showed why she was a valuable asset for the side. With none of the top-order batters taking the onus upon themselves, Sciver-Brunt played a lone hand. Her blinder of a knock comprised nine fours and two sixes.
Sneh Rana (3/26 in four overs)
Introduced in the powerplay, Rana was simply brilliant with respect to the manner in which she landed the ball in the perfect area. She was the only bowler who ended up bowling 10 dot balls across both sides.
What’s next for both sides?
Mumbai will play the Gujarat Giants Women in the Eliminator. The game will be played at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. On Thursday, March 13. As for Bengaluru, it’s the end of the road for them. The defending champions suffered a poor string of results after getting off to a good start at the beginning.
