WPL: Sophie Devine’s stunning innings of 99 breaks records as Royal Challengers Bangalore secure big win
Sophie Devine’s blistering knock of 99 off 36 balls helped Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) register their second consecutive win in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) on Saturday, March 18. RCB beat Gujarat Giants by eight wickets in match 16 of the tournament.
Devine missed out on scoring the first century of WPL, falling just one run short of the landmark, but she broke several records during her innings. She hit nine fours and eight sixes, smashing the most number of sixes in an individual innings in the ongoing WPL.
Third fastest fifty of the tournament
Devine also scored the third fastest fifty of the tournament, reaching the landmark off just 20 balls. She surpassed Alyssa Healy’s unbeaten 96-run knock to register the highest individual score in WPL. Her 84 runs through fours and sixes also broke Healy’s record of 78 runs scored through boundaries in an individual knock.
Leading run-scorer of the tournament
Devine’s whirlwind knock helped her become the leading run-scorer of the tournament with 266 runs in seven matches. She surpassed Delhi Capitals’ skipper Meg Lanning’s tally of 239 runs in six matches and currently holds the orange cap. She also has the second-best strike rate (175.00) for a batter with a minimum of 100 runs scored in the tournament so far.
In addition, Devine achieved the best strike rate in an individual innings in the WPL, striking at a rate of 275 against Gujarat. She was caught at mid-off while trying to reach her hundred with a boundary, leaving RCB in a commanding position at 157/2 at 11.5 overs.
RCB’s win puts them in the 4th position
Following her dismissal, Ellyse Perry and Heather Knight took their team home, adding 32 runs in 22 balls. In the first innings, Gujarat posted 188/4 in their allotted 20 overs, with Laura Wolvaardt scoring 68 off 42 balls with the help of nine fours and two sixes. Ashleigh Gardner supported her with 41 off 26 balls.
With two wins out of seven games, RCB is ranked in the second-last position (4th) on the points table. They need another big win in their last fixture against Mumbai Indians and hope that UP Warriorz lose both of their last fixtures against Gujarat Giants and Delhi Capitals, respectively. If all three teams end up with six points each, the team with the best net run rate will qualify for the knockout stage.
