Vadodara, January 26, 2026 : Nat Sciver-Brunt etched her name into the record books on Monday, smashing the first-ever century in Women’s Premier League (WPL) history to guide the Mumbai Indians to a vital 15-run victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru. In a must-win encounter at Vadodara, the defending champions posted a formidable 199 for four before restricted RCB to 184 for nine in a high-scoring thriller.
Sciver-Brunt’s Historic Knock
In the fourth edition of the league, Sciver-Brunt produced a near-perfect performance, finishing unbeaten on 100 off just 57 deliveries. Her historic innings was punctuated by 16 boundaries and a six, providing the backbone for Mumbai’s massive total after RCB elected to field.
Mumbai’s innings was further bolstered by a solid 56 from opener Hayley Matthews. Despite disciplined bowling from Lauren Bell, who claimed 2 for 21, the Mumbai batters maintained a relentless scoring rate to set a target of 200.
Richa Ghosh’s Valiant Response
The Royal Challengers’ chase was single-handedly kept alive by Richa Ghosh, who played a whirlwind innings of 90 from 50 balls, including 10 fours and 6 sixes. However, she found little support from the rest of the top order; stars like Smriti Mandhana (6) and Georgia Voll (9) fell early to the spin of Hayley Matthews.
The Mumbai bowling attack, led by Matthews (3/10) and Shabnim Ismail (2/25), struck at regular intervals to ensure the required run rate remained out of reach. Despite a late cameo from Shreyanka Patil (12* off 5), RCB finished 15 runs short of the target.
Play-off Implications
The victory is a significant boost for the Mumbai Indians, helping them remain in firm contention for the play-offs. For her record-breaking century, Nat Sciver-Brunt was named the Player of the Match.
