RCB crash to fourth consecutive loss | Cricket - Hindustan Times
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RCB crash to fourth consecutive loss

Mar 10, 2023 11:36 PM IST

Their batting unit failed once again even as Healy's brilliant 96 carried Warriorz to an easy win

The manner in which the two teams approached proceedings in anticipation of another belter of a batting track at the Brabourne stadium was a study in contrast. While the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) went ahead with a largely inexperienced all-Indian bowling unit, UP Warriorz (UPW) stacked their bowling with plenty of spin options – they utilised as many as 17 overs of spin.

Captain Alyssa Healy led the way for UPW will a stroke-filled 96*(PTI)
Captain Alyssa Healy led the way for UPW will a stroke-filled 96*(PTI)

The collective figures of UP’s two most experienced spinners – Deepti Sharma and Sophie Ecclestone -- read 7.3-39-7 and they proved to be the difference as RCB were restricted to just 138, a total that UPW upstaged in just 13 overs with 10 wickets to spare.

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Captain Alyssa Healy led the way for UPW will a stroke-filled 96* (47b, 18x4, 1x6). For RCB, it was their fourth consecutive defeat and they remain the only team in the competition yet to win a game.

Smriti’s Woes Continue

Smriti Mandhana went 5 balls and 12 minutes without playing an attacking shot. But while she was accumulating the singles, her partner Sophie Devine at the other end was mostly dealing in boundaries. Devine took most of the strike against two overs of Grace Harris’ off-spin, in operation to target the RCB skipper’s Achilles heel. That’s how opening pairs evolve, by covering the partner’s weakness. That’s the essence of breaking down the match-up play that is so popular in cricket these days.

It all seemed to be shaping up well at 29/0 in 3 overs when Mandhana lost her patience and stepped down the track against Rajeshwari Gayakwad. She attempted an almighty heave over extra cover, but failed to clear the inner ring again. Against a left-arm spinner, the idea was right, but Mandhana had no control over the shot. As she trudged back to her dugout after a long stare down at the turf, her out-of-form status was highlighted further.

RCB’s batting had an assembly line of established overseas batters. For a team looking for big runs, one of them had to come good. While Devine 36 (24b) played her part and Heather Knight’s (2) stay was cut short by a run-out, Australian allrounder Ellyse Perry did get going. Her straight lofted six over Gayakwad’s head in the 6th over was one for the highlights reel.

Web Of Spin

UPW spinners came into their own in the middle overs led by Sophie Ecclestone. The England left-arm spinner used subtle changes in pace and flight to stay true to her reputation of being a mean T20 bowler. On this occasion, she ended up delivering heavy blows to RCB while ending up with figures of 3.3-13-4.

Ecclestone wasn’t the only one holding up RCB’s progress. Captain Deepti Sharma also played her part with a double-wicket over, the 17th of the innings. She first dismissed the on-song Perry 52 (39b) and then cleaned up Erin Burns (12) with a yorker.

RCB have made some odd tactical calls and one of them was Richa Ghosh’s batting position. The big-hitter came in to bat as late as the 17th over on Friday. She was bought by the team for 1.9 crore in the auction but has had little impact so far. She ran herself out after a mix-up with debutant Komal Zanzad, leaving RCB with no firepower for the death overs.

Sharma finished with figures of 4-26-3 and RCB could only manage 24 runs in the final six overs; below par in any T20 contest, on Mumbai’s batting-friendly decks.

UPW batters made RCB feel the pinch of a poor batting show all the way through their run chase. Openers Healy and Devika Vaidya swung the match more or less in their favour in the powerplay itself, racing to 66/0. The RCB-dominated crowd was left to keep themselves entertained with Bollywood numbers in between UPW's boundaries.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Rasesh Mandani loves a straight drive. He has been covering cricket, the governance and business side of sport for close to two decades. He writes and video blogs for HT.

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