A real champion facet is made up of a number of champions. Within the case of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, it has the likes of Richa Ghosh and Kanika Ahuja.
They helped RCB, the defending champion, stage a surprising fightback within the opening match of the third season of the Ladies’s Premier League on Friday night time.
Chasing Gujarat Giants’ 201 for 5, the Bengaluru crew was lowered to 109 for 4 when the duo got here collectively within the thirteenth over, after the autumn of Ellyse Perry (57, 34b, 6×4, 2×6).
Richa (64 not out, 27b, 7×4, 4×6) and Kanika (30 not out, 13b, 4×4) placed on 93 for the unfinished fifth wicket as RCB turned the primary crew to chase down a complete of 200 or extra within the WPL. It was sensational stuff, actually.
Richa hit the brand new GG captain Ashleigh Gardner for 4 fours and a six within the sixteenth over, of which 23 runs got here. This was after 16 runs got here within the fifteenth over bowled by Sayali Satghare.
Underneath stress, the Gujarat fielding crumbled too, however credit score is as a result of fearless batting from the RCB duo. And fittingly, it was Richa who completed the job with a six off Deandra Dottin, because the reigning champion romped residence with 9 balls to spare.
Earlier, it was an excellent captain’s knock from Gardner that helped Giants put up an imposing complete after being despatched in to bat. With an astounding show of high-quality batting, the Australian all-rounder smashed an unbeaten 79 off a mere 37 balls (3×4, 8×6).
Gardner placed on 44 for the third wicket with Mooney, from whom she took over the captaincy this season. The skipper of the final season but once more paced her knock (56, 42b, 8×4) properly however her fellow-Aussie was a lady in a rush.
On most nights, Gardner’s would have been a match-winning knock.