Royal Challengers Bangalore 115 for 3 (Perry 40*, Ghosh 36*) bat Mumbai Indians 113 (Sajana 30, Perry 6-15) with seven wickets
RCB’s win extinguished the hopes of Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz for the playoffs.
Mandana’s decision to fly pays off
It takes a brave captain to go against the tide, especially in a game that could make or break the team’s season. Six of the seven games in the Delhi leg of the WPL before today had been won by the teams who batted first. Even the one that Mumbai won chasing required a special Harmanpreet Kaur. Despite this, Mandhana chose to fight, citing that the match was played on a new surface as the reason. And her decision paid off.
With Yastika Bhatia out due to illness, Mumbai had a new opening pair in S Sajana and Hayley Matthews. The duo added 43 for the opening wicket, but once Matthews fell, it was a one-way affair.
Perry magic leaves Mumbai stunned
It started with a catch, ended with the wickets being hit four times – scattered by two pounders – as Perry cruised through Mumbai in a sensational display of swing and seam bowling. He was involved in each of Mumbai’s first seven wickets that fell and by the time he was done, RCB had one foot in the playoffs.
Sophie Devine batted first removing Matthews with Perry taking a brilliant dive forward to deep midwicket. Perry started well with the ball conceding just one run in her first over but Mumbai were still motoring close to eight runs an over.
From her first nine balls not taking a wicket, she took six from her next 15 as Mumbai collapsed from 61 for 1 in 8.3 overs to 82 for 7 in 13 overs.
It was the good ball that led to Mumbai’s upset. Perry got past Sajana’s defenses first with a sharp in-ducker that hit her off stump. The very next ball, Perry was edged away by Harmanpreet, who drove it half-heartedly only to manage a thick inside edge back onto the stumps.
On the first ball of the next, Perry took another good length ball to edge sharply back to Amelia Kerr, who was hit on the pads and followed by a strong appeal. RCB challenged the umpire’s decision not to go off the field and was proved right. Amanjot Kaur pulled Perry the first ball, but was sent back soon after with another powerful inswinger that cut her to mid-on.
Perry picked her fifth wicket by cleaning up Pooja Vastrakar and then claimed the WPL record for the best figures from the last ball of her spell by trapping Nat-Sciver Brunt in front. In all, Perry took 18 wickets in her spell at four, leaving Mumbai clueless.
Priyanka Bala, on her WPL debut, remained unbeaten on 19 to take Mumbai past the 100 mark.
Perry, Ghosh take RCB to playoffs
If six wickets weren’t enough, Perry also starred with the bat after RCB quickly lost the top three. Sophie Molineux, opening the batting for the second successive game, had a life at 4 when Sciver-Brunt spilled a simple catch at extra cover. She didn’t last long though, with Matthews trotting her for 9. Sciver-Brunt then saw the back of Mandhana in the next over before Shabnam Ismail bowled Devine for pace.
At 39 for 3 after 6.1 overs there would have been some nerves in the RCB camp. Perry settled some of that by hitting Saika Ishaque for a four and a six. Ghosh then got a big reprieve when Sciver-Brunt again blasted a simple catch at midwicket off Ismail. And unlike Molineux, Ghosh made Mumbai pay.
Both batsmen paced their innings well and once they took the surface, they opened their shoulders. It was fitting that Perry took RCB over the line by setting up Vastrakar in the middle to seal the deal in 15 overs.
Ashish Pant is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo