Sophie Devine’s 99 keeps bottom-dwelling RCB afloat

Sophie Devine’s whirlwind 36-ball 99 helped Royal Challengers Bangalore thrash Gujarat Giants by 8 wickets to keep their campaign afloat in the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League. Having tasted victory at the Brabourne Stadium after five attempts, on Saturday, Devine dovetailed with her captain Smriti Mandhana (37 off 31) to put on a breathtaking 125-run stand in under 10 overs, setting up the ideal launchpad for RCB to overhaul Giants’ 188/4 inside 16 overs and move to fourth spot, also giving their NRR a bit of a boost. The White Ferns captain reached a 20-ball fifty with a huge 83-m six down the ground off Harleen Deol as RCB brought up 100 exactly at the end of the eighth over.

As a result, Delhi Capitals have advanced to the knockouts with two games still in hand.

Brief scoresGujarat Giants 188/4 in 20 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 68, Ash Gardner 41; Shreyanka Patil 2-17) lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore 189/2 in 15.3 overs (Sophie Devine 90, Smriit Mandhana 37; Sneh Rana 1-25) by 8 wickets