2024-03-16 22:36:19
New Delhi: In the Women’s Premier League (WPL 2024), the eliminator was played between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore on Friday night. Everyone was stunned in the very first over of the match when the ball crossed the boundary after hitting the stumps and the batting side got four runs. Actually, in this do or die match, captain Smriti Mandhana won the toss and chose to bat first as Royal Challengers Bangalore won the toss. Sophie Devine came to support orange cap holder Mandhana at the crease. Pacer Shabnam Ismail took over the responsibility of bowling for Mumbai. Both the batsmen opened their accounts with boundaries by hitting fours on the first and third balls.
Everyone was shocked by the fourth ball.
Shabnam Ismail, who had conceded 13 runs including two fours in the first three balls, bowled the fourth ball with full force, in which she almost got a wicket, but perhaps luck was not with her. Sophie Devine swung the bat strongly on a hard length ball thrown outside the off side. The ball took the inside edge of the bat and hit the leg stump, but batsman Sophie Devine was so lucky that despite the stump light being on, the bails did not fall. In such a situation, the ball hit the stick and quickly crossed the boundary. The umpire signaled for a four. None of the players present on the field could believe their eyes. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur was surprised. While batter Sophie Devine was proud of her luck, Shabnam Ismail’s reaction was also worth seeing.
Sophie could not take advantage
Royal Challengers Bangalore scored a total of 14 runs in the first over. However, Sophie Devine could not take much advantage of this gift of life. In the very next over, spinner Hayley Mathews clean bowled her. She lost her wicket while trying to hit a big shot on the last ball of the over. Sophie Devine scored 10 runs in seven balls. Captain Smriti Mandhana (10) also walked in the very next over. After a bad start, the team’s star all-rounder Alyssa Perry scored a strong half-century. She was out after scoring 66 runs in 50 balls, no other batsman could support her. In this way, the Royal Challengers Bangalore team could score only 135 runs after losing six wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. Heavly Mathews, Nate Seaver Brunt and Saika Ishaq took two wickets each. In this way, Mumbai should not face much trouble to make it to the finals.