History was made at the Kotambi Stadium on Monday as Nat Sciver-Brunt became the first player to score a century in the Women’s Premier League. Her unbeaten 100 off 57 balls propelled the Mumbai Indians to a crucial 15-run victory over league leaders Royal Challengers Bengaluru, snapping MI's three-game losing streak and catapulting them to second on the table.
Before yesterday, the WPL had seen ten individual scores of 90+ across four seasons, but the triple-figure mark remained elusive. Sciver-Brunt, the league's all-time leading run-scorer, finally shattered the ceiling in the 20th over of the first innings.
The build-up: After a slow powerplay (38/1), Sciver-Brunt and Hayley Matthews (56 off 39) dismantled the RCB attack with a 131-run partnership off just 73 balls.
The acceleration: The duo added 67 runs between overs 11 and 14. Sciver-Brunt was particularly lethal against Shreyanka Patil and Nadine de Klerk, finding the boundary 16 times.
The record: This was Sciver-Brunt’s first-ever T20 century in her 348th innings, ending a long-standing record for the most runs and fifties without a hundred in the format.
Chasing 200, RCB’s top order was decimated by a clinical opening spell from Shabnim Ismail and Hayley Matthews. Within 5.1 overs, the table-toppers were reeling at 35 for 5.
Richa emerged as the star player for RCB, hitting any ball that offered width or length.
The game seemed over until Richa Ghosh decided to swing for the fences. With 59 needed off the final two overs, she launched a breath-taking assault on Amanjot Kaur, hitting three consecutive sixes. Despite bringing the equation down to 32 off the final over and executing an unbelievable cover-drive six off Amelia Kerr, the lack of partners eventually saw RCB fall short.
This victory shifts the momentum in the race for the knockouts. After three straight losses, Mumbai Indians have jumped from fourth to second place, keeping their fate in their own hands. Conversely, RCB, who started the season with five straight wins, now face questions about their middle-order stability after two losses on the trot.
