Historic Feat by Nat Sciver-Brunt Pushes Mumbai Near WPL Playoff Spot

Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru went against each other in a thrilling WPL clash. With Nat Scriver-Brunt’s knock, the defending champions now inch closer to the playoffs. But RCB also remains eager to find its way to the finals.

Sixteen league stage matches of the Women's Premier League have now been completed. And till now, it is just Royal Challengers Bengaluru who have reached the playoffs, with two spots still up for grabs. But the 16th match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru saw history being made.

The defending champions have come out on top in this game against RCB. But it has still not been enough for them to finalise their spot in the playoffs. Nat Scriver-Brunt was the player who finally created history in the Women's Premier League, doing something which no other player has ever done in the game.

1. MI vs RCB Brings Another Thriller

Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru have faced each other two times in this tournament. And on both occasions, the match has kept fans to the edge of their seats. In the tournament opener, it was Nadine de Klerk who played a clutch knock to help RCB start the season with a win.

But this time, Mumbai Indians were not going down without a fight. In this match, RCB had won the toss and they decided to bowl first. This decision turned out to be helpful for the team in the start, as Lauren Bell was able to pick up a wicket in the first three overs of the game.

However, Hayley Matthews and Nat Scriver-Brunt dominated over the RCB bowlers. Hayley went on to score a half-century, while Nat Scriver-Brunt smashed a ton. What made her knock more historic was the fact that she became the first ever player to score a century in the Women's Premier League.

RCB also had a good start to the chase, being 20 runs for no loss in the first two overs. But within the next three to four overs, the team went down to 35 runs for the loss of 5 wickets. Hayley Matthews and Shabnim Ismail took over the charge to hand Mumbai the majority of the game.

But Richa Ghosh and Nadine de Klerk gave their best to help RCB win the game. Nadine got out after scoring 28 runs, putting the pressure back on Richa Ghosh. Arundhati Reddy also tried to handle the pressure with Richa, but with her wicket, RCB seemed to have trembled down.

Richa Ghosh and Shreyanka Patil scored 43 runs in the last two overs of the chase. The former scored 90 runs off 50 balls, giving her very best to the team to win the game. But RCB lost the match by just 15 runs, as Amelia Kerr was able to dismiss Richa on the very last ball of the innings.

2. Scriver-Brunt Matches Brendon McCullum

Nat Scriver-Brunt has achieved a unique record in the history of the WPL. With her knock against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, she became the first ever player to score a century in the history of Women's Premier League. It would definitely be shocking for the fans to know that for the first time in four seasons, a player managed to score a century in the WPL.

And in the Indian Premier League, this record is being held by Brendon McCullum. IPL fans didn't have to wait for even 4 games to witness a maiden IPL Century. Brendon McCullum smashed a ton, scoring 158 runs off 73 balls in the match between KKR and RCB. It will be a bit shocking for the RCB fans, that both of the maiden IPL and WPL centuries came against them.

3. How can MI Reach Playoffs?

After their win against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Mumbai Indians have jumped in the standings. The team is now standing at the 2nd spot in the points table, just behind RCB, with 6 points in 7 matches. This also means Mumbai Indians have one match left to play in the league stages, which will determine their qualification.

It will be 30 January, the clash between Gujarat Giants and Mumbai Indians, which will determine whether Mumbai will reach the playoffs or not. At the same time, Delhi Capitals are also having a good chance to reach the same, as they have two games remaining.