Women's Premier League 2023: RCB lose their 3rd successive match

Royal Challengers Bangalore suffered a third successive defeat in the inaugural Women's Premier League 2023. RCBW suffered a defeat versus Gujarat Giants at the Brabourne Stadium on Wednesday. Batting first, GG managed 201/7 in 20 overs. Sophia Dunkley and Harleen Deol smashed fifties. In response, Sophie Devine's knock wasn't enough as GG pulled things back. Heather Knight tried her best for RCBW (190/6).

GG saw Dunkley and Deol chip in with key scores. For RCBW, Shreyanka Patil and Heather Knight claimed two wickets each. Patil claimed 2/32 from her four overs. Knight managed 2/17 from 2 overs. Notably, Patil claimed the key wickets of Dunkley and Deol. In response, Smriti Mandhana and Devine added 54 runs. RCBW took the game close but GG kept their nerves.

Playing her second game of the tournament, Dunkley smashed a superb 65-run knock from 28 balls. She hit 11 fours and three sixes. She was finally dismissed by Shreyanka Patil while trying to play the lofted shot. Before that, Dunkley treated the crowd with some splendid hits. In the first match, Dunkley had managed 13 versus the UP Warriorz.

Dunkley got to her fifty, having faced 18 balls. It's now the fastest fifty in WPL 2023. She hammered 4,6,4,4,4 of Preeti Bose's over and reached her fifty. Harmanpreet Kaur held the fastest WPL fifty before this (22 balls).

India's Deol scored a 45-ball 67. She was part of a 60-run stand alongside Dunkley and a 53-run partnership alongside Ashleigh Gardner (22). Deol hammered nine fours and a six (SR: 148.89). She was dismissed in the 20th over.

Devine smashed a 45-ball 66, hammering eight fours and two sixes. She had earlier got scores of 14 and 16 in the tourney. Ellyse Perry managed 32 from 25 balls (4s: 5). Before this game, Perry got scores of 31 and 13. Knight got a crucial 30* for RCBW after having done well with the ball. She smashed 34 and 0 before this.

Ashleigh Gardner made her presence felt with 3/31 from four overs. She has now raced to four wickets in WPL 2023. Annabel Sutherland conceded 56 runs from her four overs. She picked 2 scalps though.

RCBW had tasted losses against Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians before this performance. RCBW now have an NRR of -2.263 after 3 games and are placed last. GG opened their account after having suffered losses versus MI and UP Warriorz. GG are 4th with two points (NRR -2.327).