On the 21st of February 2025, at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Mumbai Indians celebrated victory in an exhilarating match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru by four wickets with only one ball left in the overs. This was during the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025. Both teams displayed excellent efforts throughout the match that build up to an intense finish that had fans spellbound.
The Innings of the Royal Challengers Bangalore: Perry’s Masterclass Anchors the Innings
Harmanpreet Kaur, Mumbai Indians captain, opted to bowl first after winning the toss to maximize on the slightly advantageous conditions for bowling. Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Smriti Mandhana opened the innings with aggressive starts scoring 26 off 13 balls comprising 4 boundaries and a six. Unfortunately, Shabnim Ismail dismissed her in the third over and stifled the initial excitement that was seen in the game.
The bowlers from Michigan seized the opportunity to capitalize on this opening.
In the Mumbai Indians innings, Danni Wyatt-Hodge was taken out by Nat Sciver-Brunt with a low nine. Raghvi Bist was not a problem for Hayley Matthews either. The eighth over had arrived and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) were struggling.
Ellyse Perry has arrived. Everything was under control with a strong 81 with the aged Australian all-rounder scoring off 43 and including 11 fours and 2 sixes. Perry along with Richa Ghosh scored a partnered 50 runs with 25 overs helping RCB step up their challenges to 167 for 7. The best bowler in Mumbai Indians as expected was Amanjot Kaur who was able to claim three wickets for 22 runs and bought great performance with the last bowl where she got Perry out in the final over.
MI’s Reaction: An Exciting and Nervous Chase
The innings of MI attempting to get 68 was at first very well. Along with RCB the first few innings were fast but suffered heavily loss in wickets. Yastika Bhatia and Hayley Matthews late scored boosted Mumbai Indians greatly however after both were taken down MI suffered a score of 66 for 22 at the end of the powerplay.
From there Nat Sciver-Brunt was brought into the situation which she took under control and advanced to 42 off 21 including 9 boundaries.
Inaugural innings proved to be a good test for Mumbai Indians as they managed to chase down a daunting 165 in under 20 overs. It was Kaur who surpassed all expectations and single handedly demolished the RCB bowling lineup. Mumbai Indians captain was merciless as she dismantled the RCB attacking her with a brilliant array of strokes. Kaur was so good that at one point, it seemed that she was batting on a different pitch as the opposition struggled to get her out.
Kaur was eventually out after scoring 100 runs off of just 56 balls which brought an end to a 20 run scoring rate that the Indian women lost to her. Along with Kaur, the only other batter to provide resistance to the relentless RCB bowling was Amanjot Kaur who scored 34. MI managed to chase down the target due to Kaur’s brilliant knock of 100.
MI losing the first two matches of the series meant they had no chance of misting the finals but Kaur was glad with her and her team’s performance in the women’s Premier league. Along with her stunning century, Kaur also took two crucial wickets.
Kanika Ahuja was the target of her attack in the penultimate over, allocating herself distance needed to grab a victory through two impressive sixes. Under scrutiny, she showcased her talent and tenacity on the battlefield by scoring 34 without boundaries from the 27 balls allocated.
Near the end of Ekta Bisht’s under she was forced to display some of nerves due to their needing six runs, Bisht displayed some pinpoint accuracy while bowling, rising the anxiety level. In the last two balls needing couple runs, Can give came over the age of 16 and drove the goal winning MI the match for life.
A Talk About The Enthralling Competition
Both the team’s efforts were commendable in consideration competition as it was high quality cricket at all levels. For Royal Challengers Bangalore there stood out two moments that showcased Ellyse Perry and Georgia Wareham’s brilliant batting and vital bowling performance.
However MI was able, through Harmanpreet Kaur and Amanjot Kaur, had the champion attitude. Mumbai Indians have shown their commitment to win back the championship through this victory and the standing shift in the WPL 2025 showcases that.
As the competition advances, fans can look forward to even more exciting matches like these, which showcase the brilliance and passion of women’s cricket.
If you are interested for more: Mumbai Indians Triumph in Last-Over Thriller Against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in WPL 2025 DG Club App Game – The Ultimate Card Battle Experience
