Live Blog: WPL 2023, RCB-W vs GG-W, Match 6
Gujarat Giants won by 11 runs (Source: Twitter/@wplt20)
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Gujarat Giants won by 11 runs
11:05 PM | GG made most of the toss advantage after opting to bat first. Sophie Dunkley took them off to a flyer with her fifty-plus score. Harleen Deol capitalised on Dunkley's onslaught as she also made merry, smashing a 45-ball 67.
Chasing 202 runs, RCB were always under the scoreboard pressure. Sophie Devine fought hard in her half-century knock, Heather Knight also gave her all to score 30 runs of 11 deliveries. Despite their effort, RCB fell short of the target by 11 runs. For GG, Ashleigh Gardner took three-wickets with the ball.
Gujarat Giants are finally off the mark. RCB loses three out of three. While Sophia Dunkley and Harleen Deal set-up the match for the Giants, Ashleigh Gardner sealed it with her three-for.
Aayush: Why did Shreyanka not come in earlier? Has scored a four and a six already but the target is out of reach . Her hits are all for the run-rate.
Shreyanka Patil walks to the middle.
Khemnar miscues a ramp and has to depart.
Annabel Sutherland will bowl the final over.
10:51 PM | A six off the final ball of the 19th over by Heather Knight has brought the equation down to 24 off six.
Poonam Khemnar is RCB's no.7.
Sushma Verma stumps Kanika on a Gardner delivery. RCB loses their fifth batter as the game moves towards GG's corner.
10:46 PM | An 11-run 18th over. Kanika is also showing signs of fight.
10:44 PM | RCB have taken a review. They are contesting for a no-ball... The on-field umpire's decision stays. The review is lost.
10:40 PM | Despite Devine's wicket, Knight is not letting RCB go down without a fight. The wides by Sutherland are not helping Gujarat.
Kanika Ahuja is the new batter.
That could be curtains for RCB. Annabel Sutherland dismisses Devine. After tonking a six, Devine saw the opportunity to hit another. Mistimes the ball and gets caught at long-on.
10:35 PM | Knight comes in set from the dressing room. Flies to nine runs off four deliveries.
Heather Knight walks in at no.5.
A wicket immediately after the time-out. Ghosh misses Gardner's yorker as the bails light up. It's upto Devine now.
10:29 PM | Five overs to go. 77 runs to win. RCB have no option but to go hammer and tongs. For GG, it remains a simple strategy. They just need to stick to doing what they have till now.
Aayush: It is still Gujarat Giants' game to lose. But with Sophie Devine well set and Richa Ghosh also going strong, do not count out RCB just yet.
Sophie Devine gets to her fifty. She is fighting a lone battle for RCB. Remains to be seen for how long does she keep her team in the game.
Richa Ghosh is RCB's no. 4.
Perry finally opens up but it did not take too long for Mansi Joshi to get better of her. The pacer gets treated with back-to-back fours but foxes Perry with a slower ball as she cuts the ball straight to the hands of the point fielder.
Half-way through the innings and Gujarat are on top. While RCB have lost just one wicket, GG have forced them to apply brakes on the run-scoring. The score reads 82/1 after 10 overs.
10:04 PM | Sneh Rana has been hit on her left hand. She is taking a treatment. Ok, she is fine to bowl.
Aayush: Runs have dried up. Just seven have come from the last two. Something has to give.
RCB are 59/1 after the powerplay. The are sitting pretty in the chase but Mandhana's wicket gives GG an edge.
Ellyse Perry walks in as the new batter.
Mandhana continue to disappoint. She throws away another start. Gardner dismisses the southpaw for the seventh time.
RCB bring up their first opening stand of 50 runs in the WPL. The two openers are rollicking and the Giants suddenly seemed to be loosening their control over the things.
Aayush: RCB are on track in the-run chase. But mind you, they have gotten off to similar starts in the tournaments. Mandhana and Devine remain the key here.
9:35 PM | Devine is not letting her opening partner do it all alone. The New Zealander along with Mandhana shakes off Garth's length that seemed to be on-point in the first over.
9:31 PM | That was convincing. Mandhana gets into the groove, takes on Tanuja Kanwar and scores two boundaries in front of the wicket to take RCB to 22/0.
9:26 PM | The required run-rate pressure is quite visible. RCB get a four off a bye but Garth almost bested Mandhana a full delivery. The Challengers from Bangalore are 9/0 after the first over.
9:22 PM | The second innings is about to begin. Sophie Devine is opening with Smriti Mandhana. Kim Garth has the ball in her hand.
Before the second innings start, here are some tweets to keep you hooked...
The Harleen Deol show
9:12 PM | Another 200-plus total in the WPL 2023. The league continues to be batters' friend. Another mediocre bowling display by the RCB bowlers. Only Shreyanka Patil and Heather Knight came out well for the side, claiming two scalps apiece.
As for Gujarat Giants, Sophia Dunkley started the spectacle, while Harleen Deol ended it a fine fashion. The GG duo scored fifties, leading to their team to a total of 201 runs.
Sushma Varma comes to the middle.
End of a wonderful innings by Harleen. Shreyanka gets a yorker on target as Harleen gets bowled after scoring 67 runs.
9:02 PM | An over left in the innings. RCB are at 192/6.
A run-out!!! Rana is short of her ground. A good throw by Perry and Ghosh does the rest.
Sneh Rana is in the middle.
Renuka finally delivers. Sends Sutherland packing. The pacer bowls away from the batter's reach as the latter could not time the ball well and gets caught down the ground.
8:51 PM | Four, four, four and then the drop. Luck is on Harleen's side today. After a run-out reprieve, a catch goes begging
Harleen Deol completes her maiden WPL fifty off 35 deliveries. She has looked on song in the tournament so far and is making the most of her solid form.
Annabel Sutherland is the new batter.
What's with Knight's knack of taking wicket? She came into the just attack three overs before and already has two in her kitty. Hemalatha is the victim this time. She perishes, trying to take on Knight as an outside edge ends her night.
8:43 PM | Hemalatha causes destruction straightaway. She is on 16 off just six deliveries.
Dayalan Hemalatha walks in at 5.
Gardner departs. Heather Knight does the trick. A slider invokes the batter's edge as Ghosh grabs another catch.
8:30 PM | Harleen is going for the charge. She fetches herself and RCB a four and a six off Shutt's third over. The partnership for the third wicket has now stretched to 38 runs.
Aayush: Ten overs are done. Gujarat Giants would be the happier team of the two. But with Sophia Dunkley dismissed, Royal Challengers Bangalore could very well tighten the screws now.
Ashleigh Gardner is GG's no. 4.
There's no stopping Dunkley tonight. No, I am proved wrong. Shreyanka Patil has got her number. After another flurry of boundaries, Dunkley finally mistimes an aerial shot and and gets holed out at long-off.
8:07 PM | Harleen Deol has luck on her side. Renuka misses a run-out chance.
Let's look at a few tweets
Aayush: Barring Megana's wicket there was not much on the table for RCB in the powerplay. Dunkley hammered Bangalore left, right and centre, recording the fastest powerplay total in the WPL so far. GG are at 64/1 after the end of the first six overs of the innings.
8:00 PM | It's time for the strategic break.
It's the fastest WPL fifty. Sophia Dunkley sends Preeti Bose to the cleaners. She accumulates four fours and a maximum in the over, and becomes a proud owner of an 18-ball half-century.
7:49 PM | Renuka Singh Thakur goes wayward. Dunkley takes full toll and smashes Renuka for two fours and a six.
7:40 PM | Harleen Deol comes to the middle.
Meghana has to go. An early wicket for RCB. How is that possible? Nonetheless, it has happened and Schutt is the woman behind it. After dropping Meghana in the last over, Ghosh redeems herself as she takes an easy catch.
7:39 PM | An eventful over from Perry. After Dunkley scooped her for a four, she almost got Meghana's wicket but Richa Ghosh dropped a toughie.
7:35 PM | Ellyse Perry will bowl from the other end.
Aayush: It's a maiden. Schutt was right on money to start with. She kept bowling on the off-stump as Meghana failed to take even a single throughout the over.
7:30 PM | Sabbhineni Meghana and Sophia Dunkley are the GG openers. Megan Schutt will start the proceedings for RCB. Let's get the ball rolling.
Sania Mirza leading the huddle
Aayush: RCB have included Poonam Khemnar in place of Disha Kasat. As Kasat did not do enough to retain her place, it was expected that the batter will be replaced by someone or other.
Pitch Report (Anjum Chopra and Aakash Chopra): The boundaries are short especially the squarer ones at one end. There will be the dew factor which will make some impact. There is a bit of dryness and therefore little bit of assistance will be there for the spinners. 180 runs should be the minimum for the team batting first.
Playing XIs
Royal Challengers Bangalore Women: Smriti Mandhana (c), Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight, Richa Ghosh (wk), Poonam Khemnar, Kanika Ahuja, Shreyanka Patil, Megan Schutt, Renuka Thakur Singh, Preeti Bose
Gujarat Giants: Sabbhineni Meghana, Sophia Dunkley, Harleen Deol, Annabel Sutherland, Sushma Verma (wk), Ashleigh Gardner, Dayalan Hemalatha, Sneh Rana (c), Kim Garth, Mansi Joshi, Tanuja Kanwar
7:05 PM | Gujarat Giants are unchanged. RCB brings in Poonam Khemnar for Disha Kasat
Gujarat Giants opt to bat first after winning the toss
7:00 PM | Both the captains are next to each other. It's time for the coin flip.
Playing fantasy contests? We have got you covered with our exclusive tips
6:51 PM | Sneh Rana captained in the absence of Beth Mooney for the Giants in their previous clash. Mooney suffered from an injury in the opening WPL match and there is still no update on her availability.
As for Gujarat Giants, they were annihilated by Mumbai Indians in the WPL opener, Albeit the side were in the touching distance of a win in their prior outing, Grace Harris single-handedly denied them a likely victory.
RCB have played like an incompetent unit so far. The campaign for them has been nothing short of a disaster. Smriti Mandhana has had fitting issues with the captaincy hat. The inexperienced skipper was not even helped by her bowlers and batters as the Challengers lacked on every front in their last two games.
Welcome to the live blog of the sixth Women's Premier League (WPL) 2023 match, scheduled between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Gujarat Giants (GG)
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