Royal Challengers Bangalore entered the WPL 2024 final with a thrilling five-run win against defending champions Mumbai Indians in the eliminator clash on Friday. Once again, Ellyse Perry rose to the occasion with a match-winning all-round performance to script a major milestone for RCB.
The Australian legend registered her second fifty of the season by smashing 66 runs off 50 balls as Bangalore posted a 135/6 total at the Arun Jaitkey Stadium. Perry then contributed with a ball with a crucial wicket of Yastika Bhatia as RCB restricted Mumbai to 130/6 in 20 overs.
Perry clinched the Orange Cap for surpassing Delhi captain Meg Lanning's 308-run tally in WPL 2024. Perry also entered the record book by becoming the first-ever RCB player to reach the 500-run mark in WPL history and fifth overall.
Most runs in WPL history:
- Meg Lanning (Delhi Capitals) - 653 runs in 17 innings
- Ellyse Perry (Royal Challengers Bangalore) - 565 runs in 16 innings
- Harmanpreet Kaur (Mumbai Indians) - 549 runs in 16 innings
- Shafali Verma (Delhi Capitals) - 517 runs in 17 innings
- Natalie Sciver-Brunt (Mumbai Indians) - 502 runs in 19 innings
Meanwhile, Perry talked about her match-winning performance after claiming the Player of the Match award in the WPL eliminatory. She credited the positive dressing room atmosphere for RCB's road to the final and praised her teammates for their efforts against Mumbai.
"We are just ecstatic to play in the final now," Ellyse Perry said in the post-match presentation. "Defending a really low total, it was awesome. We kept it pretty calm in the end. Some awesome performances by the spinners to finish the game. You have to take the opportunities that come your way.
"It has been nice for me in the last couple of matches. The way we stayed calm in the back end of our bowling innings was exceptional. The group has come a long way since last year and we have enjoyed each other's company, on the field and off it. Overall, we hung in there, girls kept contributing. They all added to the runs on the board. We were a little under-par but super effort to finish the way we did."
