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Ellyse Perry stars in first RCB win :
Australian star all-rounder Ellyse Perry finally won her first WPL game for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the inaugural Women’s Premier League on Wednesday.
After five consecutive losses in the first half, RCB has managed to cross the final hurdle and registered their first win for the season against UP Warriorz at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai.
Ellyse Perry stars
Ellyse Perry has been the marquee signing for the Bangalore franchise after they bought her for a whopping INR 1.7 crores at the auction table. Her all-around abilities and vast international experience made her a core member of the squad.
RCB
Perry has justified her high price tag with her performances in the first half of the season. She has been the top run scorer for RCB with 205 runs in 6 matches. She is also the second-highest run-getter of the tournament, just behind Meg Lanning of Delhi Capitals. But RCB failed to win even a single game in the first five matches due to inconsistent batting performances by the top order and dismal bowling performances. But on Wednesday, they put up a good show against the UP Warriorz and won their first match of the tournament, keeping themselves alive for the playoff race.
Earlier, RCB won the toss and asked UP Warriorz to bat first; Ellyse Perry was the pick of the bowlers; she picked 3 wickets for just 16 overs and helped RCB to restrict UP to just 135 runs.
But Perry had a rare failure with the bat today; she gave a straightforward catch to Sophie Ecclestone at mid-on while trying to go over the top for a boundary. She only managed to score 10 runs, then Kanika Ahuja (46) and Richa Ghosh (31*) completed the chase with five wickets in hand.
Disappointment for UP Warriorz
UP Warriorz had a horrible start at the top after being asked to bat by RCB. Sophie Devine opened the bowling for RCB; she removed Devika Vaidya and UP captain Alyssa Healy in the very first over. Tahila McGrath also falls in the very next over. Kiran Navgire played a little cameo of (22), but she fell soon after the powerplay. Simran Shaikh couldn’t contribute much, and UP was reduced to 31 for 5. Then Deepti Sharma and Grace Harries stitched the crucial partnership and took UP score over a hundred. But Ellyse Perry’s double strike in the 15th over to get rid of Deepti Sharma and dangerous Grace Harris put a break on the UP innings, and they bundled out for 135 runs inside 20 overs.
The start of the RCB chase was not smooth either. They nearly made a mess of this below-par chase. Sophie Devine gave them an explosive start with 14 runs in the first over, but her cameo ended with Grace Harris in the same over. Skipper Smith Mandhana’s horrible form continued as she departed for a duck. Perry also failed with the bat today. But Heather Knight (24), Kanika Ahuja (46), and Richa Ghosh (31) took RCB home and secured a maiden victory.
RCB’s victory has given them an outside chance to challenge for the spot in the playoffs. They have also moved off the bottom of the points table above the Gujarat Giants.
But it was a disappointing day for the UP captain Alyssa Healy. She had been hoping to put in an impressive performance against the struggling RCB and put her side in a strong position to qualify for the playoffs. But the loss against RCB put them still in third in the points table with two victories.
