It was a crushing defeat for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2023, as they suffered their second consecutive mauling against the Mumbai Indians. The RCB, led by Smriti Mandhana, were bowled out for 155 after opting to bat first, and the Mumbai Indians chased down the below-par target with nine wickets and 34 deliveries to spare, thanks to a stunning match-winning performance from Hayley Matthews.
Aakash Chopra, the former Indian opener, who was reviewing the game on his YouTube channel, felt that the RCB are yet to wake up and gather momentum, while Mumbai’s victorious local is working fine. He pointed out that the lack of substantial partnerships hit RCB hard, with none of their batters able to reach the 30-run mark, and five players getting dismissed in the twenties.
Chopra observed that Smriti Mandhana’s issues against off-spin bowling are becoming a recurring feature, and that the RCB needed to start well and score 200 if they batted first. He also lauded Saika Ishaque’s excellent bowling and fantastic fielding efforts from Humaira Kazi, who ran out Ellyse Perry.
Chopra had high praise for Hayley Matthews, who played an unreal innings and led the Mumbai Indians to an easy win. Matthews scored an unbeaten 77 off just 38 balls, and her match-winning performance left Chopra wondering how she went unsold in the first round of the auction.
Yastika Bhatia, who looked good and hit four or five boundaries, gave a flying start to the Mumbai Indians’ run chase. Matthews and Natalie Sciver-Brunt took Harmanpreet Kaur’s side home with an unbroken 114-run second-wicket partnership after the wicketkeeper-batter’s dismissal.
Overall, it was a disappointing performance from the RCB, who will need to wake up quickly and turn their fortunes around if they want to have a chance in the tournament.