WPL 2025: Mumbai Indians hand Royal Challengers Bengaluru their first loss – Talking Points

Mumbai Indians handed defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru their first loss of the 2025 Women's Premier League, winning a thrilling encounter at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium by four wickets on Friday.

Having opted to chase, Mumbai Indians walked home with a ball to spare as the 16-year-old G Kamalini bisected the fielders in the off-side to find a boundary. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur scored a half-century.

Earlier in the day, Mumbai Indians restricted the Royal Challengers Bengaluru to 167/7 in their 20 overs.

Here are the talking points from the match:

Perry the lone Challenger with bat

Ellyse Perry waged a lone battle with the bat in hand after Royal Challengers Bengaluru were asked to bat first in front of their home crowd.

Perry held the Royal Challengers innings together for most parts, striking 81 off just 43 deliveries. Her innings consisted of 11 boundaries and two sixes as she helped the inaugural champions to a respectable total.

Earlier, skipper Smriti Mandhana was off to a flier but her innings was cut short for a 13-ball 26 as Shabnim Ismail sent her back in just the third over of the match.

Richa Ghosh struggled to find her rhythm as he laboured to a 25-ball 28. She, however, stitched a 50-run stand for the fifth wicket with Perry to steady the Royal Challengers' innings after they were struggling at 57/4.

Mumbai register highest powerplay score

Natalie Sciver-Brunt (42) went berserk in the second innings as Mumbai Indians registered their highest-ever powerplay total in the Women's Premier League.

The England all-rounder hit nine boundaries in her 21-ball stay as the inaugural champions raced to 66/2 at the end of six overs.

Sciver-Brunt stitched a 57-run stand for the second wicket with opener Hayley Matthews (15), who was prized out by Ekta Bist with the final over of the powerplay.

RCB pull things back

After Mumbai Indians rapid start, Royal Challengers Bengaluru expertly pulled things back with Bist starting the rout in the final over of powerplay.

The left-arm-spinner struck to remove Matthews after being hit for 17 runs in the over and Mumbai Indians soon found themselves in the backfoot.

Sciver-Brunt departed soon after as she was cleaned up by Kim Garth. Amelia Kerr's stay in the middle did not last long either as she fell to Georgia Wareham for a six-ball two.

With the team struggling at 82/4 in the 10th over, Amanjot Kaur joined hands with the experienced Harmanpreet.

Kaurs steady the ship

The two Kaurs in the middle steadied the ship for Mumbai Indians. With Amanjot struggling for timing, Harmanpreet took the onus on herself to get her team closer to the target.

Harmanpreet farmed the strike for most of the partnership, racing to her half-century off 36 deliveries.

However, the joy was short lived for the Indian captain as she fell for 50 just two balls later as Georgia Wareham had her caught behind in the 18th over.

Wareham struck once more with the very next ball, sending back Sajana Sajeevan for a golden duck to leave Mumbai Indians struggling at 144/6 in the 18th over.

Amanjot gets the job done

However, Amanjot held her nerve at the other end. With a new batter in the form of Kamalini in the middle, she took charge.

Amanjot hit the first six of her WPL career with the first ball of the penultimate over off Kanika Ahuja before closing the over with yet another six.

This brought the equation down to six needed off six balls.

Amanjot (34*) and Kamalini combined to pocket three runs off the first four balls of the final over, before the latter found a boundary to seal the match.

Earlier in the day, Amanjot ran through the Royal Challengers Bengaluru batting lineup with ball in her hand.

The 24-year-old finished with figures of 3-22 in her three overs, picking up crucial wickets of Perry, Ghosh, and Wareham.