Image Credit- BCCI
It was the ideal way
to wrap up WPL 2024’s first leg. Following their third victory in five games,
Royal Challengers Bangalore had an incredibly enthusiastic send-off from a very
biassed Bengaluru audience.
The stadium was officially packed with 26,483 people, but the unceasing roar
and excitement gave the impression that 40,000 people had descended on the
arena on a Monday, deafening themselves in support of a team whose chants of
‘RCB-RCB’ have become a national institution, even out of games.
RCB performed a
flawless high-pressure game, as if to equal this intensity. They made a few
tactical adjustments along the road, which greatly helped them put on a batting
display that demoralised the UP Warriorz.
RCB made the decision to move Sophie Devine down the list following scores of
1, 6, 23, and 9. With the straightforward message of enhancing the powerplay
without bothering about keeping her wicket, S Meghana was elevated to open
alongside Smriti Mandhana.
Yes, Meghana started the race with a thrilling start, throwing down an early
gauntlet with her agricultural heaves and bottom-handed power with the field
in. They bat deep, and that wisdom comes with it.
Picking up where
Meghana left off, Mandhana batted with a freedom that she has rarely displayed
at RCB. She had an awful run throughout WPL 2023, being especially susceptible
to spin, especially left-arm spin, to the extent that teams tried to bring one on
as soon as they could.
Alyssa Healy understood the public was not on her side. She didn’t even try to
chirp at Mandhana because they were so loud. It would simply be muffled.
However, she may take the next best action. Mandhana had a variety of options when
it came to spinners to play with. Gayakwad, the left-armer Healy selected, was
met by Mandhana with an incredible inside-out six over wide long-off.
By now, Mandhana was
in the driver’s seat. She skewed Ecclestone to long-off on 28 and Athapaththu
blew a simple opportunity. Ecclestone could not stand to watch. Athapaththu was
the one who was angry two balls after the reprieve since Healy failed to stump
her. It seemed like this would send Mandhana hurtling into space. To get things
moving again, she lap swept the next ball for four.
The Warriorz were
aware that it was time for some more psychological warfare, but Mandhana
appeared to enjoy it. At the releasing point, Deepti fled, attempting to dispel
the premeditation. Deepti tried to re-bowl, but Mandhana bailed out of her
position. The assembly became ecstatic. Mandhana grinned, and Healy, who is a
skilled tactician as well, laughed a little.
Ellyse Perry, who
entered at No. 3 instead of her previous position at No. 4, was Mandhana’s
ideal ally. She also soon found her rhythm as a support player, finding spaces
to keep the scoreboard ticking while only sporadically striking the ball in the
air.
When Athapaththu was bowled out for three fours by Mandhana in the fifteenth
over, things really started to shift. Every question thrown at her had a
response.
But Gayakwad’s stroke of the night came when she stepped out and shifted the
ball leg side and fired it inside-out, against the turn, over additional cover.
As the first century
of the WPL approached, Mandhana attempted to take the field but was caught by
Deepti’s bowling at deep midwicket. The cheers reverberated around the ground
when the Chinnaswamy stood up. Perry was free to take it all on since Mandhana
was no longer there. She hammered a six that broke the glass window of a
sponsor car.
You questioned whether Bengaluru’s crowd support could rival that of Mumbai.
They had clearly taken control of the stage at the end of the first leg. The
crowd was given a lap of honour by Mandhana and her team, and the WPL’s caravan
model experiment was a resounding success. Delhi, it’s over to you.