Another superb game and this WPL keeps getting better. So many thrillers which only will fuel up the interest in the women's game even more. Just one more game to come this season and that's the final on Sunday, the 17th of March. We will be there nice and early to bring you every action from that one. Do join us then. Until then cuddle well, keep calm and sleep well. Bye for now.
Ellyse Perry | Player of the Match: We are ecstatic to get an opportunity to be in the final. To defend a low total like that is awesome. The girls kept calm and pretty awesome performance?from the spinners at the end. You gotta take the opportunity when it comes. Nice for me the last couple of games, it has fallen my way. The way we stayed calm against?such a good side is exceptional. The way the girls have come together after last season and we have really enjoyed each other's company on the field and off it. Overall we hung in there, the girls kept contributing, the old adage of runs on the board in a big game holds true I suppose and it did tonight. Can't wait [for the final].?
Smriti Mandhana | RCBW captain: What a match. Still this feeling has not sunk in. At the halfway mark, we felt we were 20 runs short. But the way we bowled and fielded was amazing. 130 is a total where you are not sure whether to attack or defend, but the last over from Asha was unreal. [turning point?] Definitely Harman's wicket. That over from Shreyanka and even the 19th over from Sophie because even Sajana is a good hitter, that 19th made a lot of difference. [on Perry] What do I say of her now! She is a legend, the way she kept her nerves with 3 wickets down. Even when she came back in, she told us we are in it, keep our nerves. Feels unreal. After the last match we thought we were playing good cricket, winning the toss was great, but at 30/3 I was like, what have I done! 130-odd and cricket is a funny game and that's what taught me to keep going. I'm really happy that RCB is in the final. One more day of good training and come back the day after.
Georgia Wareham: Not really sure, we fought through the end, every time we got together, we spoke about fighting?till the end. [on Devine opening tonight] I have no idea, it worked out for us at the end of the day. Smriti and Sophie Devine were the ones who were trying to keep us calm and it was really cool from them. [on her last-ball six] Swung as hard as I possibly could, sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't, luckily it did tonight. [on if she can?be called an allrounder] Not sure about that, I try to have an impact on the game, whether it is about 10 balls or anything. Perry's experience kept the innings going tonight and gave us something to defend. The other night she did it with the ball. She impacts the game in all facets of the game. To have someone like that on your team is invaluable and it's lucky we have her at RCB. It's hard to hear and it's cool to hear the RCB chants and the crowd yelling out Smriti and Perry's names is really cool and hopefully we can go one better and win on Sunday.
Harmanpreet Kaur | MIW captain: We bowled really well, we restricted them to under 140. batting was also good but the last 12 balls we did not bat well. In 12 balls, we needed just one boundary, we could not be able to get that. This game always teaches you and puts you under pressure, you need to learn from it. When we lost my wicket, our batters could not hold their nerve, that was the turning point. We saw SS (Sajana) this tournament, she can hit really hard and that's what this WPL can do,?to bring up young players. We fought really hard, this season has been up and down for us, last season we did really well but we learnt a lot and hopefully next season we will prepare well and come back hard.?
MI needed just 20 runs off the last three overs with two set batters out in the middle. Kaur even got a life in the 18th over when Richa Ghosh missed a stumping chance. However, Shreyanka Patil held her nerve and removed the MI captain with the final ball of her spell. And, the defending champions capitulated post that. Molineux bowled a superb penultimate over and with 12 needed off the final over, Mandhana turned to Asha Sobhana and the leggie disappoint her. She didn't panic and RCB emerged victorious. Last 18 balls: 14 runs | 0 boundaries | 3 wickets. RCB, earlier, scored 13 runs off their final over Wareham hitting a six off the final ball of the innings. A game of fine margins! Stick around for the post-match reactions...
22:53 Local Time, 17:23 GMT, 22:53 IST: A humdinger of a contest! RCB refused to give up and they've knocked out the defending champions to progress to the final of WPL. After winning the toss, they opted to bat despite a successful chase against the same team at the same venue only a few days ago. They brought back Devine to the top of the order and came out with a positive intent as they scored four boundaries off the first eight balls of the innings. The defending champions came back strongly by picking three wickets within a span of three overs. Richa Ghosh and Molineux tried to be aggressive but they couldn't break the shackles and both of them perished cheaply. Perry, RCB's No. 3, however put up a fight. She kept the scoreboard ticking and punished anything loose to notch up a crucial half-century after a picking a six-fer in her previous outing against the same opposition. Wareham gave her good company towards the end as RCB finished with a respectable total of 135. In reply, Mumbai didn't get off to a flier and scored 37 runs for the loss of Matthews in the powerplay. Perry cleaned up Yastika for 19 which brought Nat Sciver-Brunt and Kaur together. While the MI captain survived a run-out chance on 0, Sciver-Brunt was batting quite comfortably. The latter fell to Wareham. In walked Kerr with whom Kaur stitched a fifty stand. It looked like MI would coast home. But RCB refused to give up!
Asha Sobhana to Amelia Kerr, 1 run, RCBW have pulled this off from nowhere. Asha Sobhana is so cool. She does the "I'm here, don't worry" celebration. This has been a jailbreak for RCBW, Mandhana is in tears. Happy ones of course. Coming to the last ball, it was well tossed up outside off, the legbreak lands short of the drive of Amelia Kerr who comes down the track to loft inside-out, can only get a thick outside-edge on the bounce to backward point, and that's the game done
7 off 1. Devine is helping Mandhana with the field. Amelia Kerr needs to hit a six to take us to a Super Over. She is a touch player. She needs to powerhit. Tough ask. Still taking their time to set the field. Richa Ghosh asks the umps if she can go back from the stumps. That she can do. The umps tell her it's fne. Long-off, deep extra-cover are the two back on the off-side field. The others are on the leg-side.
Asha Sobhana to Amanjot Kaur, 1 run, slower and shorter outside off, turns away, Amanjot Kaur cuts and the thick outside-edge goes to short third man, just one
Amanjot Kaur, right handed bat, comes to the crease
8 off 2. MIW can't bear to watch.
Asha Sobhana to Vastrakar, out Stumped!! This is exceptional bowling. Slower, loopier, legbreak outside off, dips and falls short of the attempted loft of Vastrakar who again gave the charge, she misses and Richa Ghosh drags it from outside off and breaks the stumps. Vastrakar was well out. RCBW heavy favorites now. Vastrakar st Richa Ghosh b Asha Sobhana 4(4)
Asha Sobhana to Vastrakar, THATS OUT!! Stumped!!
8 off 3. Stumping appeal sent upstairs. Vastrakar is walking already. No bat. Richa looks to have done it behind the stumps. Mandhana meanwhile is telling Asha Sobhana what to do. The third ump is having a look at this still. Well out.
Asha Sobhana to Vastrakar, 2 runs, tossed up legbreak on the stumps, Vastrakar comes down the track to flick, thick inside-edge goes wide of deep mid-wicket, Perry it is, they come back for two
10 off 4.
Asha Sobhana to Amelia Kerr, 1 run, flat and outside off, Amelia Kerr comes down the track to thump it to long-off, just one as Devine is there
11 off 5, Perry helping Mandhana with the field. RCBW are taking their time. Kerr looks cool. She has a look at the field.
Asha Sobhana to Vastrakar, 1 run, lovely legbreak outside off, tossed up and dips on Vastrakar who comes down the track to push, thick outside-edge runs to short third man and they sneak one