Published: January 27, 2026 at 12:04 am
Defending champions Mumbai Indians carved out a much-needed win as they edged out Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 15 runs in the Women’s Premier League in Vadodara on Monday night.
The most prolific batter of the WPL and the ever-so reliable Nat Sciver-Brunt has finally broken the century drought in the tournament, 1059 days and 82 matches since the league started in 2023. Even though the conditions continued to be slow in Vadodara, Sciver-Brunt switched gears after the powerplay with a 32-ball half-century to pick the gaps and middle the ball in unparalleled fashion.
She powered Mumbai Indians to 199, the highest total on this ground this season, and the scoreboard pressure told on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru batters who collapsed to 35 for 5. They were given a late lift by Richa Ghosh’s bludgeoning 90 off just 50 balls that tried to rescue a sinking ship but the asking rate and lack of partners kept the task too stiff and they went down by only 15 runs in the end after her stunning assault.
Sciver-Brunt’s maiden T20 century could have hardly come at a better time for Mumbai; they were fourth on the table after losing their last three games and needed to win this game to keep their knockouts fate in their own hands. They did it by taking down the table-toppers to go second and Bengaluru have now lost two in a row after kicking off the season with five wins on the bounce that had taken them to the knockouts.
“Special moment to get that milestone but more importantly, the runs on the board for the team. Getting that partnership with Hayley, it was massive for the team. Just preparing the same way. Trying to turn up mentally in the same place too and staying in the moment. Today, I was just reacting to the balls that were given to me. Tactically, some bowlers might be more of your strength than others. Some bowlers might be on fire that day, so may be better to try scoring against the others,” Sciver-Brunt said after the game.
Ghosh was the only bright spot for Bengaluru, who had been bundled out for their lowest WPL score in their previous match. She made the most of getting two lives: the first was a tough chance for the keeper off a spinner, while the second was a sitter for Matthews, who put down a skier running in from long-off and covered her mouth in disbelief.
Ghosh also lost de Klerk in the 12th over but started to hit out even as Bengaluru needed 120 from 48 with six wickets down. She dispatched anything with width or length and went after anyone who came her way. The big charge came in the 16th over when she clobbered three consecutive fours off Amelia Kerr. Amanjot Kaur fought back with a wicket in a six-run over next, but she was at the receiving end of a stunning assault in the 19th.
Richa Ghosh kept Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the hunt with a sparkling 90
Bengaluru needed 59 from 12, and Ghosh went 6, 6 and 6, starting by putting away a full toss before relying on brute force. When she managed only a single on the fourth ball, Shreyanka carved two fours to keep RCB in the game, with 32 needed from six.
Ghosh started the final over with a four, but Amelie Kerr bowled a dot next that virtually sealed Mumbai’s victory unless there was an illegal delivery. Ghosh, however, executed an unbelievable six off the next ball when Kerr looped it well outside off; Ghosh came down the track, reached out, and sent it sailing over the covers before ending up flat on the ground. She miscued the last ball of the game and was finally caught, as Mumbai fielders breathed a sigh of relief.
“Great match. Don’t know what to say. It was a good show from Nat and good contribution from Matthews. Good game overall. We have been playing together. This is our fourth year, we know each other well. Whenever team needs, someone stands up. Really happy everyone came together (and contributed to the win tonight). This little break really helped us. We had good bonding sessions. It gave us confidence. We knew these are important matches and we wanted to go in with a fresh mind. Sciver-Brunt has been amazing for our team. We love watching her batting and love playing with her. She is always taking responsibility and love to see that. Ismail has been waiting for a long time. Good to see she has gotten her rhythm back and long may it continue,” said Mumbai skipper Harmanpreet Kaur.
“Brilliant innings from Richa. It was a treat to watch. Nadine as well, good contribution. One of the best innings I have seen. Nat is a world-class player. She can hit one ball in three different places and that makes life difficult. The shots she played, not many answers we could find. Bowling has been brilliant throughout the first five games. One of those days when few of our bowlers did not get the lines right. Bell was brilliant with the new ball and when she came back in. Others could not step up. Credit to Nadine for bowling those two overs from the shorter end. We speak about not being complacent. We need to win one to go straight to final. There are some things we need to work on. Keeping things simple has worked and we have to keep things simple. We have to take good days and bad days both in our stride,” said Bengaluru skipper Smriti Mandhana.
Brief scores: Mumbai Indians 199/4 in 20 overs (Nat Sciver-Brunt 100 no, Hayley Matthews 56; Lauren Bell 2/21) beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru 184/9 in 20 overs (Richa Ghosh 90; Hayley Matthews 3/10).
