Vadodara, Jan 26 (NationPress) The Mumbai Indians fended off a remarkable late charge from Richa Ghosh to triumph over the Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 15 runs in an exhilarating clash during the 2026 Women's Premier League (WPL) at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara on Monday.

In pursuit of 200 runs, RCB stumbled early, finding themselves at 35/5 during the Power-play as Hayley Matthews and Shabnim Ismail wreaked havoc on the top order, putting the team at risk of a significant dent in their net run rate. However, Richa had different plans; she unleashed a breathtaking assault, scoring 90 runs off just 50 balls, including 10 fours and six sixes, nearly securing an unlikely win.

After managing only 55 runs off 40 balls in the first 18 overs, Ghosh exploded in the final two overs, amassing 35 runs, which made MI sweat before she was dismissed on the last ball, as RCB finished at 184/9.

Besides those final overs, MI demonstrated a solid performance, keeping their playoff aspirations alive. Hayley ended with impressive bowling figures of 3-10, propelling MI back to second place on the points table.

Nat Sciver-Brunt had previously made history by scoring the first century in the WPL, helping MI reach a formidable total of 199/4. After Hayley and Shabnim's early breakthroughs, Richa received support from Nadine de Klerk and Arundhati Reddy in the middle order, but the early damage proved too significant, despite her late heroics.

This defeat marks RCB's second consecutive loss after an impressive start with five straight wins. For MI, this victory provided a vital confidence boost in a must-win situation, with senior players stepping up when it mattered most, despite a late scare.

MI made early inroads with the ball when Shabnim dismissed Grace Harris, who had previously hit Nat for a trio of fours, caught behind by Rahila Firdous in the third over. Hayley compounded RCB’s troubles by taking down skipper Smriti Mandhana and Georgia Voll in quick succession. MI's spirits soared further when Gautami Naik was bowled by Shabnim, and Radha Yadav fell for a two-ball duck to Hayley, leaving RCB five down during the Power-play.

Nadine de Klerk attempted to rally the team with 28 runs off 20 balls, hitting a six and three boundaries, but ultimately fell to Amelia Kerr’s googly in the 11th over. When Arundhati Reddy and Sayali Satghare were dismissed in consecutive deliveries by Amanjot Kaur, RCB found themselves at 129/8.

At the other end, Richa fought valiantly. Starting cautiously, she ramped up her scoring pace after the halfway mark, executing cuts and lofted shots for boundaries. She reached her half-century with a six over sweeper cover off Nat and then unleashed a stunning counterattack in the death overs.

Richa belted three consecutive sixes off Amanjot Kaur in the 18th over, followed by two more maximums and a four off Kerr in the penultimate over, igniting hopes for an improbable win. However, she was eventually caught by Sanskriti Gupta off Amelia, ending her remarkable innings at 90, as RCB's challenge faltered once again.

Brief scores:

Mumbai Indians 199/4 in 20 overs (Nat Sciver-Brunt 100 not out, Hayley Matthews 56; Lauren Bell 2-21, Shreyanka Patil 1-34) beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru 184/9 in 20 overs (Richa Ghosh 90, Nadine de Klerk 28; Hayley Matthews 3-10, Shabnim Ismail 2-25) by 15 runs.