The Royal Challengers Bangalore opener came out all guns blazing at the top of the order and produced arguably the knock of the tournament.
Sophie Devine decided to take matters into her hands and powered the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to only their second win of the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) on Saturday (March 18) in Mumbai.
Devine produced perhaps the innings of the tournament, blazing it away for a spectacular 99 off just 38 balls in the league stage encounter versus the Gujarat Giants at the historic Brabourne Stadium.
The Kiwi stalwart came out firing in all guns and dominated her way through the run-chase where the RCB needed a major knock or risk giving away the ascendancy to the Giants, who had posted an intimidating 188/4 in their 20 overs.
The RCB required one of their top-order batters to take the game back to the opposition and it was the 33-year-old Sophie Devine, who proved to be the hero for her side and almost singlehandedly took the match away. Devine blasted it away for nine fours and eight sixes even as the tracks in WPL 2023 have begun to slow down due to repeated game time.
Devine looked set to record one of the fastest ever centuries in the shortest format of the game but missed out by a solitary run when she got out caught off Kim Garth’s bowling. But it was an innings of the highest class still, one that the experienced cricketer could savour for the tournament.
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The knock was also savoured by her grateful RCB teammates, who couldn’t help but bow down to the veteran as she completed her walk off the ground following the dismissal and reached the dugout besides the boundary hoardings.
Queen Sophie Devine, take a bow! @RCBTweets pic.twitter.com/Ob6PURHgYB
— leishaa ✨ (@katyxkohli17) March 18, 2023
RCB players were seen standing up and clapping and cheering for Devine’s efforts in the middle, before they bowed down to the White Ferns top-order batter who helped RCB register their second successive WPL win after going through a torrid winless streak.
Devine would’ve been disappointed to miss out on the hundred but may have felt a balm on her pain seeing her teammates rise up and salute her performance that resulted in an RCB victory by eight wickets.
