WPL 2025: RCB start title defence with explosive 202 run-chase; Perry, Ghosh hit fifties

Vadodara (Gujarat) [India]. February 14 (ANI): A half-century by Ellyse Perry and audacious ball-striking in death overs by half-centurion Richa Ghosh and Kanika Ahuja helped defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) kickstart their Women's Premier League (WPL) campaign with a massive six-wicket win in Vadodara on Friday.
Reduced to 14/2, the RCB's 'Play Bold' philosophy drove the run-chase despite all odds, as a recovery partnership by Perry and Raghvi Bisht paved way for what seemed like endless punishment for GG bowlers towards the end.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won the toss and elected to field first. After being put to bat first, GG opening pair of Beth Mooney and Laura Wolvaardt took their time in picking up speed, with Mooney hitting some boundaries. However, Laura was cleaned up by Renuka Thakur for 6 (10 balls, with one fours) by Renuka Singh. GG was 35/1 in 4.3 overs.
GG ended the first six overs of the innings, the powerplay phase at 39/1, with Mooney (24*) joined by Dayalan Hemalatha (2*).
Kanika Ahuja gave another wicket to RCB, removing Hemalatha for four off nine balls, with a fine catch from Prerna Rawat. GG was 41/2 in 6.4 overs.
GG was 68/2 at the end of 10 overs, with Mooney (50*) joined by skipper Ashleigh Gardner (2*). Mooney's fifty came in 37 balls, with seven fours, continuing her consistent T20 run, marking her fifth fifty in last eight innings.
The 44-run stand was once again broken, this time by Prerna. Mooney was the one to go after being caught by RCB skipper Smriti Mandhana for 56 in 42 balls, with eight fours. GG was 85/3 in 11.4 overs.
After the arrival of Deandra Dottin at the crease, run-rate went up as Dottin smashed Kim Garth for two fours while Gardner launched Prerna's deliveries into skies for three successive sixes. GG brought up their 100-run mark in 13.2 overs.
Gardner continued to attack, picking three fours against her Aussie teammate Georgia Wareham and a four and six against Joshitha VJ to bring up her fifty in 25 balls in her first outing as captain.
In the 17th over, Renuka brought down the run rate a bit, removing Dottin for a 13-ball 25 (three fours and a six). With this, a 67-run fourth wicket stand was over. GG was 152/4 in 16.5 overs.
In the next over, Gardner picked up three sixes against Joshitha. It was followed by another run-fest of an over, which produced 20 runs and a wicket of Simran Sheikh (11 in five balls). After Garth conceeded two fours on the final two balls of the innings, GG ended with 201/5, with Harleen Deol (9*) and Gardner (79* in 37 balls, with three fours and eight sixes).
Renuka was the pick of the bowlers, conceding just 25 runs and getting two wickets. Kanika, Wareham and Prerna got one wicket each.
During the run-chase of 202, RCB openers Mandhana and Danni Wyatt-Hodge started with three fours in the first over, but Gardner pushed them back by removing both the openers in the next over. RCB was 14/2 in two overs.
Following these two breakthroughs, Raghvi Bist was joined by Australia legend Ellyse Perry. Bisht and Perry showed fine attacking intent, with a six by Perry bringing up RCB's 50 runs in 5.5 overs.
At the end of six overs, RCB was at 51/2, with Perry (17*) and Bisht (16*) unbeaten.
As the innings went on, Perry continued to pile on boundaries and GG bowlers added to the run tally with some extras. At the end of 10 overs, RCB was 89/2, with Perry (42*) and Bisht (24*) unbeaten.
In the 11th over, Perry slammed two successive sixes against Dottin to bring up her fifth WPL fifty in 27 balls, with five fours and two sixes. 100-runs were up for RCB in 10.5 overs and chances of a win looked promising.
Then, Dottin removed Bisht (25 in 27 balls, with three fours) and Perry, with latter being caught at long-on ,, for 57 in 34 balls, with six fours and two sixes. RCB slipped to 109/4 in 12.2 overs.
Richa Ghosh and Kanika carried on with the chase audaciously. In the 16th over, Ghosh launched an assault on Gardner, smashing her for four boundaries and a six, bringing down the equation to 40 in final four overs.
Thanks to three more fours in the next over, the equation went down to 24 runs in final three overs.
The punishment continued for GG as Priya Mishra was taken down for 18 runs in the 18th over, with Ghosh reaching her fifty in 23 balls, with seven fours and two sixes, smashing Priya for a six and two fours.
In the 19th over, Richa delivered the winning hit, completing the innings at 202/4 in 18.3 overs, with Ghosh (64* in 27 balls, with seven fours and three sixes) and Kanika (30* in 13 balls, with four boundaries) unbeaten in a stand of 93 in just 37 balls. (ANI)