Sciver-BrunthitsWPLsfirst ton as MI beatsRCB

The Mumbai Indians star, a befitting holder of the milestone, brought it up off 57 balls in the 20th over, taking the two-time champion to 199 for four against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Kotambi Stadium. The unbeaten knock set up a 15-run win for Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. despite Richa Ghosh’s stunning 50-ball 90 (10×4, 6×6).

In pursuit of 200, RCB slipped to 35 for five in the sixth over. Richa battled gamely at No. 6, so much so that her side was in with a sniff towards the end. With RCB needing 59 runs off the last two overs and two wickets in hand, Richa smashed Amanjot Kaur’s first three balls for maximums. Shreyanka Patil hit two fours in the 27-run penultimate over, bringing the equation down to 32 required off six balls. Richa kept swinging the bat hard before being dismissed by Amelia Kerr off the final ball.

Earlier, after MI was sent in to bat, Sciver-Brunt forged a breathtaking second-wicket stand of 131 runs, off 73 balls, with Hayley Matthews (56 and three for 10).

Once the field restrictions were eased, the pair of Sciver-Brunt and Matthews had to show some initiative and ingenuity. The England batter did so in the seventh over, backing away to hit Nadine de Klerk over mid-off.

When spin was introduced courtesy Shreyanka, Sciver-Brunt nailed a cut that sped away to the cover boundary. When the bowler erred again in the over, the No. 3 unfurled another cut in the same region for the same result.

It left MI with nine wickets in hand for the final 10 overs, enabling Sciver-Brunt and Matthews to go on the rampage. They walloped 67 runs from overs 11 to 14 to render the RCB attack helpless. While there was a sliver of respite for Smriti Mandhana’s side once Lauren Bell castled the Barbadian — just 49 runs were conceded in the last five overs — Sciver-Brunt finished the innings in style for MI.