WPL 2024: ‘She Wasn’t 100 Percent Today’, Smriti Mandhana Praises Ellyse Perry’s Valiant Knock After Loss Against Mumbai Indians

New Delhi: Nat Sciver-Brunt-led Mumbai Indians reclaimed the top spot on the points table with their 7-wicket win over Smriti Mandhana’s Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, on March 2. Mumbai first restricted Bangalore to 131/6 and then chased it with 29 balls remaining.

It was Ellyse Perry’s unbeaten 44 that helped RCB post a decent total. However, Mumbai’s dominant batting completely took the game away from Bangalore. RCB captain Mandhana reflected on their loss and praised Perry for her astonishing performance despite not being 100 percent.

“I think we didn’t really get the start we wanted, and that (losing 4 wickets early) really cost us the game. It was the same wicket we played against Delhi Capitals, we thought 165 was a good total, it wasn’t as good as it was in the last game, but still a good wicket to bat on. Batting first it’s holding a little bit, we tried but couldn’t adjust to the wicket, hopefully, we will learn the lessons and come back strong,” said Mandhan in the post-match presentation.

“Having a good start and carrying the momentum is really important in T20 cricket. Also really important to attack the stumps. She (Perry) is definitely a fighter, she wasn’t 100 percent today, but anyone watching wouldn’t have figured that out. She is an excellent athlete and her innings really helped us get to a decent score from that stage (42/4),” she added.

Electing to field first, Mumbai Indians picked three early wickets and then built on it despite an unbeaten 44 off 38 balls by Ellyse Perry to reach a modest 131/6 in 20 overs. While Perry struck five boundaries during her 38-ball knock, Georgia Wareham was the second-highest scorer with 27 runs.

Chasing 132 for the win, Mumbai Indians rode on solid contributions by Ellyse Perry, Yastika Bhatia, and Nat Sciver-Brunt to reach 133/3 in 15.1 overs and won the match with 29 balls to spare.

After starting their campaign with an opening-round win over Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians had suffered a defeat against UP Warriorz in their previous match. Saturday’s victory means Mumbai Indians lead with six points from four matches while Delhi Capitals remained on four points.