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After being called into bat by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Smriti Mandhana, the boldness of Shafali Verma and the class of Meg Lanning combined to put on 162 runs for the first wicket and push Delhi Capitals (DC) to 223 for 2 on a belter of a track with a lightning quick outfield.
Afterwards, Tara Norris of the United States, the tournament’s sole Associate Member, blasted through RCB’s middle order with the tournament’s first five-wicket haul as Delhi defeated Bangalore by 60 runs in the first Women’s Premier League (WPL).
Shafali, who was highly chastised for her fielding in the recent T20 World Cup, produced a couple of fielding highlights to accompany her strokeful 45-ball 84. RCB were held to 163 for 8 in 20 overs while chasing 224.
Shafali And Lanning Show
What can Indian players take away from the WPL? While Shafali and Lanning were batting together, it was responded. Shafali’s troubles with short-pitched music are widely documented. Ellyse Perry hit one in short in the sixth over of Delhi’s innings, and it was the only time Shafali looked bothered during her innings. Lanning went out to the pitch to speak with her younger partner. Shafali blasted Perry for a boundary a few balls later, prompting a fist pump.
After the intermission, Shafali stated that Lanning had calmed her fears and encouraged her to bat the entire innings. “I was a little nervous at first. Meg was a huge assistance to me in the middle; she constantly instructing me which shots to play and to be responsible with the bat.”
In the Powerplay, the tandem scored 57 runs. As the partnership progressed, they matched. Shafali was all muscle, while Lanning was all class on the opposite end. With back-to-back boundaries off Megan Schutt, Lanning set the tone. Smriti introduced off-spinner Preeti Bose in the fourth over of the innings, and Shafali welcomed her with a massive six over mid-on.
Smriti has a job. Sobhana Asha and Shafali went completely wild in the eighth over, smashing the offspinner for 22 runs.
After the deliberate timeout, Shafali and Lanning pounced on the Bangalore bowlers, scoring 100 runs in 9.4 overs, and Delhi were 105 for no loss at the midway point.
The RCB’s lack of bowling experience was revealed in the opening game. Perry, Heather Knight, and Devine don’t bowl much, while Renuka Singh and Megan Schutt, their strike bowlers, appeared unimpressive.
I’m not even close: Smriti Mandhana responds to parallels to former RCB captain Virat Kohli
Smriti Mandhana made history as the most expensive pick in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 auction. Mandhana, the first player available, was also the most expensive, joining Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for Rs 3.4 crore. Mandhana is the face of Indian cricket and the captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore women’s team.
Virat Kohli is the face of the Royal Challengers Bangalore men’s team. Even though he is no longer the franchise’s captain, he remains the best player to keep an eye on. Comparisons are unavoidable since Mandhana and Kohli are the faces of their respective divisions at RCB.
“I dislike such comparisons because what he (Kohli) has accomplished is incredible. I simply hope I can get there, but I’m not there yet. What he has accomplished for this franchise (RCB), I would like to try to replicate “She stated.
Mandhana leads the Bengaluru-based franchise in the present season and will look to break RCB’s trophy drought. RCB is one of the teams that has competed in the IPL since its start but has yet to win the trophy. RCB reached the IPL 2016 final under Virat Kohli’s leadership.
