RCB spinners and Perry stun Mumbai to seal berth in WPL 2024 final

Royal Challengers Bangalore stormed into the WPL final for the first time after beating defending champions Mumbai Indians by five runs in Friday's Eliminator in Delhi. After Ellyse Perry's magnificent 66 propelled RCB to 135 for 6, a calm and clinical bowling display - especially at the death - knocked Mumbai out.

The low-scoring, momentum-shifting game appeared to be in Mumbai's grasp when they needed 20 runs in three overs with seven wickets remaining. However, RCB's spin trio of Shreyanka Patil, Sophie Molineux and Asha Sobhana dented Mumbai at a crucial time by plugging the runs and picking up three wickets.

When the equation came down to 12 runs off six balls, the uncapped Asha then held her nerve and bowled a boundary-less final over to put RCB in the final against Delhi Capitals.

Even though Mumbai started with a 14-run first over by Shabnim Ismail, they returned strongly to take three RCB wickets in an action-packed powerplay. It began with some drama in the opening over when Sophie Devine got an inside edge onto the stumps, but the bails refused to budge. The next over, bowled by Hayley Matthews, began with Smriti Mandhana lofting one over mid-off for her second boundary. But Matthews was back in the contest soon, knocking off Devine with a length ball that drifted away from the right-hand batter after she played the wrong line.

Harmanpreet Kaur then brought in Nat Sciver-Brunt, and it worked. She struck with her second ball as Mandhana miscued a length delivery pitched outside off to deep cover. With the right-hand batter Disha Kasat in at No. 4, Harmanpreet called on left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque instead of continuing with the offspinner Matthews. Ishaque understood the assignment and dismissed Kasat, who after six dot balls tried to manufacture a lofted stroke only to be caught at cover point. RCB slipped from 20 for no loss to end the powerplay at 34 for 3.

Richa Ghosh struggled during her 19-ball 14, and when she was dismissed in the 10th over by Matthews, RCB were reeling at 49 for 4. However, Perry was unfazed by the wickets falling. She picked up lengths early, accelerated when required and played a calculative knock. The Mumbai bowlers didn't offer many loose deliveries, but even then, the orange-cap holder found a way to score.

After patiently playing out 21 deliveries to get to 17, she broke free when Vastrakar went short and smashed her over deep midwicket for six. After stitching a run-a-ball stand of 35 with Molineux (11 off 17) for the fifth wicket, Perry upped the rate with Wareham (18* off 10) and played as many balls as possible at the death overs. Perry and Wareham put on 42 off just 26, with RCB scoring 51 runs in the last five overs.

Perry eventually moved to 50 off 40 deliveries in Ismail's final over and 17th of the innings after smashing the seamer for a couple of fours. She then hit Amelia Kerr for two more boundaries in the 18th. In her 50-ball stay, Perry hit eight fours and a six but was out in the deep off Ishaque in the final over.

The target seemed below par but Mumbai lost Matthews early for 15 when Patil dismissed her in the fourth over. Mumbai played cautiously after that dismissal, and wanted to see out the powerplay without another wicket. RCB also exerted pressure by bowling dot balls on a pitch where the ball was turning and sticking to the surface. At the end of six overs, Mumbai had huffed and puffed to 37 for 1.

Soon after, Yastika Bhatia, who was back in the XI after missing the previous game due to illness, was bowled by Perry for a 27-ball 19. A few overs later, Sciver-Brunt's cameo of 23 was ended by Wareham when she smashed the stumps. At the end of 11 overs, the equation came down to 67 runs from 54 balls.

Despite their slowish start, Mumbai didn't need to press the panic button since Harmanpreet and Kerr were still there. They aimed to keep getting the singles and finding the odd boundary per over. Molineux and Patil made run-scoring tough for the Mumbai pair but they found ways to ease the pressure. Harmanpreet, who was on 21 off 22 at one point, smashed Perry for two fours in the partnership while Kerr also went hard on Wareham for two fours. The duo shared a 52-run stand in 44 balls.

With 18 balls left, Mumbai needed only 20 more But the match-changing 18th over from Patil was to follow. After Ghosh missed a massive stumping chance to dismiss Harmanpreet with the first ball, Patil forced Harmapreet to step out again off her final delivery but this time she holed out to long-on for 33.

Molineux bowled the penultimate over with Mumbai needing 16 off 12. She mixed up her lengths and bowled from both sides of the wicket. She dismissed S Sajana off the fifth ball when she skipped down and missed a wild swing. Ghosh made no mistake this time behind the stumps and left 12 for the final over.

With two right-hand batters, Kerr and Vastrakar, at the crease, Mandhana handed the ball to legspinner Asha ahead of Devine and Renuka Singh. She conceded only four runs off the first three balls and also got the wicket of Vastrakar. Eventually, Kerr needed a six off the final ball to take the game into a super over, but all she managed was a miscued shot for one.