Yadav, Ghosh, Patil hand RCB 32-run win over GG in WPL

Navi Mumbai, Jan 16 (PTI) Royal Challengers Bengaluru rode on a century partnership between Radha Yadav and Richa Ghosh before off-spinner Shreyanka Patil produced a magical five-wicket haul to beat Gujarat Giants by 32 runs and register their third consecutive win in the Women's Premier League here on Friday.

Yadav (66 off 47 balls) and Ghosh (44 off 28) shared 105 runs in 11 overs for the fifth wicket to take RCB to a competitive 182 for 7 after being asked to bat.

In reply, Gujarat Giants lost wickets at regular intervals and were bowled out for 150, with Patil ruling the roost with amazing figures of 5 for 23.

GG started their chase with Beth Mooney (27) flicking Lauren Bell (3/29) for a boundary off the opening ball, while Sophie Devine was not to be left behind, smashing Linsey Smith for two boundaries in the next over.

Mooney was at her attacking best, clobbering Bell over mid-off for a maximum before striking the bowler for two consecutive fours off the final two balls of the over to keep GG moving forward.

RCB struck first blood in the next over when Devine was caught and bowled by Arundhati Reddy. Patil then dealt a severe blow to GG by dismissing Mooney, who was trapped LBW. GG suffered another setback when skipper Ashleigh Gardner was caught by Richa Ghosh off Bell.

Next batter Kanika Ahuja (16) showed the willingness to fight with back-to-back fours before falling LBW to Patil. Wickets continued to tumble for GG at regular intervals, with Georgia Wareham the next to depart as the scoreboard read 70 for 5.

Bharti Fulmali (39 off 20 balls) was the top-scorer for GG but it was not enough.

Earlier sent in to bat, RCB made an aggressive start with Grace Harris clobbering four boundaries off pacer Renuka Singh to pick 23 runs in the first over.

But Harris's innings was cut short by right-arm pacer Kashvee Gautam, who trapped the batter plumb in front of the wicket with a perfect inswinger.

Gautam struck again in her next over removing D Hemalatha, caught by debutant Shivani Singh.

After being clobbered in the opening over, Renuka came back strongly to pick up the vital wicket of RCB skipper Smriti Mandhana, who was brilliantly caught by Rajeshwari Gayakwad with a diving forward effort in the fifth over.

RCB continued to lose wickets as Gautami Naik was the next to depart, LBW to Devine (3/31) as the Bengaluru outfit slumped to 43 for 4 in the sixth overs.

Australian leg-spinner Georgia Wareham was then taken to task by Radha Yadav, who first hit a much-needed boundary through point before dispatching the ball over long-on for a maximum.

Ghosh and Yadav then came together at the crease, playing cautiously for an over before the latter hammered Wareham for a boundary and a maximum off consecutive deliveries.

While Yadav was more aggressive of the two, Ghosh too picked up pace with a few boundaries to keep RCB's scoreboard ticking.

Ghosh, dropped at deep mid-off by Gautam in the 13th over, utilised the 'life' by clobbering Wareham over deep mid-wicket.

Ghosh sent a Sophie Devine delivery flying over the long-off boundary while Yadav too hit a maximum off the final ball of the same over to bring up her fifty off 36 balls.

The duo scored boundaries at will to bring up the 100-run stand for the fifth wicket in the 16th over.

Towards the end, Nadine de Klerk made a handy 12-ball 26. PTI SSC AM SSC AM AM