Shreyanka Patil’s five-wicket haul and Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s batting depth helped them post a hat-trick of wins and surge back to the top of the table in the Women’s Premier League. On Friday night, Bengaluru posted a comfortable 32-run win over Gujarat Giants and maintained a clean slate at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
Chasing a formidable 182 for seven, Gujarat Giants, at one stage, were threatening to take the fight to the enemy camp but Patil had other ideas. The off spinner spun a web of deception to lure the Giants into destruction. She bagged five for 23 and Lauren Bell took three for 29 as the Giants were bundled out for 150.
The Giants had begun their chase in right earnest with Beth Mooney (27) and Sophie Devine (8) getting 34 on the board but both fell in quick succession. The Giants lost their way soon and were reduced to 70 for five.
However, Bharti Fulmali and Kashvee Gautam (18) kept the Giants in the hunt with a 56-run partnership. Bharti did the bulk of the scoring and threatened to spoil Bengaluru’s party. Tanuja Kanwer (21) too looked to give last year’s runners-up some headache.
However, Patil and Bell had other ideas. They delivered when it mattered most to help Bengaluru, despite some sloppy fielding and catching, came through unscathed. Patil finished with figures of five for 23 and Bell got three for 29.
Earlier, Bengaluru’s batting depth bailed them out after the top four fell cheaply. Put into bat, Bengaluru began quickly with Grace Harris (17) smashing four boundaries off the hapless Renuka Singh. She, however, didn’t last long as she was trapped leg before by Kashvee Gautam.
That triggered off a collapse as Dayalan Hemalatha (4), skipper Smriti Mandhana (5) and Gautami Naik (9) fell in quick succession to leave the table toppers at 43 for four.
Gautam did the most damage in this period with two wickets, while Renuka and Sophie Devine chipped in with a wicket each. With their tails up, the Gujarat bowlers attacked the Bengaluru batters, hoping to make further inroads. But they hadn’t contented with Radha Yadav and Richa Ghosh.
The duo not only denied Gujarat further success but also put their rivals to the sword. They added 105 off 66 balls to bring their side back on top. Radha was the aggressive of the duo as she made 61 off 38 balls, while Richa contributed 44 off 28 balls.
After Richa’s (44; 28 balls, 4×4, 2×6) departure at 148, Radha was joined by the big-hitting Nadine De Klerk, who has already showcased her all-round abilities. The duo added 31 with Nadine getting 26 of those and Bengaluru were right back in the mix.
They ended up with a par 182 for seven with Radha scoring a 47-ball 66 with six fours and three sixes. Nadine remained unbeaten on a 12-ball 26 with two fours and an equal number over the fence.
Shreyanka lauds Radha’s efforts with the bat
“Firstly, I would love to give the credit to Radha because if not for her innings, we’d have not put up that total. Really happy with the way Radha and Richa contributed to the innings from 40 for 4. Gave us a lot of confidence. We knew dew would play a big part. I think the bowlers did tremendously well and I am very happy to get my first WPL five-for,” said Patil after the game.
“I have gone through a rollercoaster ride personally. I came out of it in a very strong way. Credit goes to my support system. My coach, uncle, aunt and grandparents and sister are all here. Just the fact that I was out of cricket for 14 months was a big blow for me because I can’t sit quietly. I need to be out on the field,” the off spinner said.
“Very happy with the preparation over the last few months and happy that my execution is now falling in place. I am a wicket-taking bowler. Because the drift I get, the turn I get and bounce I get, I have not seen much. I don’t know why I am giving so much credit to myself [chuckles]. But I have always wanted to be the strike bowler. At any phase of the game, I want to get wickets,” she added.
Patil’s mantra is to keep it simple and that’s what gets her wickets. “I kept it really simple. Even Anya and Malo sir said to keep things simple because your stock ball is the best ball on this wicket. I kept things simple, got those arm balls going and bowled a lot of off-spinners and bowling to left-handers is a big advantage. Smriti keeps saying you have to get all the left-handers out in this tournament,” she said.
Brief scores: Royal Challengers Bengaluru 182/7 in 20 overs (Radha Yadav 66, Richa Ghosh 44, Nadine De Klerk 26, Grace Harris 17; Sophie Devine 3/31, Kashvee Gautam 2/42) bt Gujarat Giants 150 in 18.5 overs (Beth Mooney 27, Bharti Fulmali 39, Tanuja Kanwar 21; Shreyanka Patil 5/23, Lauren Bell 3/29).
