Vadodara: England all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt made history in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) on Monday, becoming the first player to score a century in the tournament as she powered Mumbai Indians to a formidable 199/4 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the BCA Stadium in Kotambi.
In a landmark moment for the league, Sciver-Brunt registered her maiden T20 hundred, remaining unbeaten on 100 off 57 balls. Her innings, studded with 16 fours and a six, came after she walked in early and steadied the innings before launching a calculated assault on the RCB bowling attack with elegant strokeplay and precise timing.
Sciver-Brunt shared a crucial 131-run partnership with Hayley Matthews, who played a fine supporting role with a brisk 56 off 39 deliveries. The pair initially took time to settle but gradually shifted gears, finding regular boundaries and pushing Mumbai Indians past the 100-run mark in the 12th over. Matthews reached her half-century before being bowled by Lauren Bell, who was the pick of the RCB bowlers.
RCB’s bowling unit struggled to contain the flow of runs, with inconsistent lengths allowing MI batters to dominate. Lauren Bell stood out with figures of 2-21 from her four overs, while the rest of the attack found it difficult to stem the scoring on a batting-friendly surface.
Earlier, Mumbai Indians lost Sajeevan Sajana early after she was trapped lbw by Bell in the third over. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur then added momentum with a quick 20 off 12 balls, striking two fours and a six, before falling to Nadine de Klerk. Amanjot Kaur chipped in briefly towards the end, but the spotlight firmly remained on Sciver-Brunt as she accelerated in the death overs.
Sciver-Brunt brought up her historic century in the penultimate over with a single through long-off, marking a milestone moment in WPL history. Despite Amanjot Kaur being bowled by Shreyanka Patil late in the innings, Mumbai Indians finished strongly at 199/4, the highest total recorded at the venue this season.
With a daunting target on the board and dew likely to play a role later in the evening, RCB face a stiff challenge and will need a special batting performance to chase down the total.