Spot-on MI bowlers restrict RCB to 131/6 in WPL
Bengaluru, Mar 2: Royal Challengers Bangalore batters struggled to force pace against an efficient group of Mumbai Indians bowlers, settling for 131 for six in their Women's Premier League match here on Saturday.
RCB would have been in deeper trouble had Elysse Perry (44 not out, 38b, 5x4) and Georgia Wareham (27, 20b, 3x4) not added 52 runs for the sixth wicket after MI decided to bowl first.
Mumbai were without their regular skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and premier pacer Shabnim Ismail, who have been nursing injuries, for the second match on the trot, but that did not affect their intensity on the field.
The RCB top-order batters did not have the required amount of patience to weather the storm when the MI bowlers struck a fine line early on.
Skipper Smriti Mandhana (9, 11 balls) grew impatient and looked to smash pacer Issy Wong out of park. But the shot neither had power nor timing as Nat-Sciver Brunt completed a simple catch inside the circle.
It was a similar case with some other RCB top-order batters such as Richa Ghosh and S Meghana who tried to break the shackles by force, not the best approach when the bowlers are on top.
Ghosh fell to pacer Pooja Vastrakar, drilling a drive straight to Sanjana Sajeevan to mid-off, and Meghana's weak pull off Brunt ended in the hands of Keerthana Balakrishnan near backward square leg.
But Perry showed how to score runs here, selecting her balls to perfection to punish the bowlers. She pulled and cut Amelia Kerr for boundaries in successive balls when the leg-spinner erred in her length.
She found an able ally in Wareham, who complemented Perry with good rotation of strike and occasional hits to the fence.
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NDA's win in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation watershed moment in Kerala politics: PM Modi
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday termed the mandate received by the BJP-led NDA in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation a "watershed moment" in Kerala's politics and expressed gratitude to the BJP workers for the "spectacular results".
The Left parties suffered a major setback in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, held by them for 45 years, as the BJP-led NDA surged ahead with a huge lead.
Reacting to the civic body results, the prime minister said it is a day to recall the work and struggles of generations of karyakartas (workers) in Kerala, who worked at the grassroots, which ensured today's result became a reality.
"Thank you Thiruvananthapuram! The mandate the BJP-NDA got in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation is a watershed moment in Kerala's politics," he wrote on 'X'.
PM Modi said the people are certain that the development aspirations of Kerala can only be addressed by the BJP. "Our Party will work towards this vibrant city's growth and boost 'Ease of Living' for the people," he said with the hashtag #VikasitaThiruvananthapuram.
The prime minister said the BJP karyakartas are the strength of the party, and everyone is proud of them.
"My gratitude to all hardworking BJP karyakartas who have worked among the people, which has ensured a spectacular result in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation," he said.
