Perry stars again as RCB finally taste victory

Ellyse Perry has tasted victory in the Women's Premier League for the first time after her enduring excellence had gone unrewarded over the first half of the new tournament.

The 32-year-old Australian great is the second-highest run scorer in the league (205 runs) but her Royal Challengers Bangalore side had failed to register a win in their first five attempts.

On Wednesday though that changed, with Perry inevitably at the heart of their first victory yet against Alyssa Healy's UP Warriorz.

Allrounder Perry took 3-16 off her four overs, including the key wicket of big-hitting compatriot Grace Harris, as she did most to put the squeeze on the Warriorz as they struggled to 135 all out.

And though she then had a rare failure with the bat, Perry's 10 runs took her past 200 for the tournament, second only to Delhi's Australian captain Meg Lanning (221).

Eventually, it was two young Indian teammates, Richa Ghosh (31no) and Kanika Ahuja (46), who put together the key partnership that guided RCB to a five-wicket win.

No wonder it brought a beaming smile to Smriti Mandhana, RCB's captain who has failed to find any form with the bat despite being the highest-paid player in the league.

Perry, who was shown given her team a pep-talk at the innings break, shone with the ball, taking two wickets in three balls in the 15th over to get rid of Deepti Sharma before then bouncing out the dangerous Harris, who had clouted a couple of sixes in her 32-ball 46.

RCB's win even still gives them an outside chance of challenging for a place among the three teams in the knockout stages as they finally moved off the bottom of the table above Gujarat Giants with their first two points of the campaign.

But it was a missed opportunity for Healy, who'd been hoping to lift her side into a strong position in the table. Instead, after being asked to bat first by RCB, she got dismissed by New Zealander Sophie Divine for just one before overseeing a defeat that leaves the Warriorz still third on four points.

In another all-Australian duel, RCB's Megan Schutt (1-21 off four) got Australia and Adelaide Strikers teammate Tahlia McGrath, the world's No.1 T20 batter, caught behind for just two.

Aussies in WPL 2023

Delhi Capitals: Meg Lanning, Jess Jonassen, Laura Harris

Gujarat Giants: Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham

Mumbai Indians: Heather Graham

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Erin Burns

UP Warriorz: Tahlia McGrath, Grace Harris, Alyssa Healy