Alyssa Healy smashed 47-ball 96 not out, powers UP Warriorz to 10-wicket win over RCB

Skipper Alyssa Healy led from front with a scintillating 47-ball 96 t out as UP Warriorz hammered Royal Challengers Bangalore by 10 wickets in Women's Premier League here on Friday.

During her unbeaten kck, Healy smashed 18 fours and a six en route to leading UP franchise to its second win of tournament, even as RCB suffered ir fourth straight defeat to dent ir prospects of advancing furr. Healy's 96 t out is highest individual score in WPL thus far, bettering teammate Tahlia McGrath's 90 t out. UPW completed task with as many as 42 balls remaining.

Chasing a modest target of 139, UP Warriorz were off to a brisk start with opening duo of Healy and Devika Vaidya (36 t out off 31 balls) finding boundaries at will. This was after UP Warriorz spinners Sophie Ecclestone and Deepti Sharma gave away very little while striking at regular intervals to bowl out RCB, who opted to bat first, for 138 in 19.3 overs. Ellyse Perry top-scored for RCB with a 39-ball 52.

Seasoned English left-arm spinner Ecclestone finished with incredible figures of 4/13 in her full quota of four overs, while Deepti ended with 3/26. Such was onslaught by Healy that Warriorz raced to 55 in six overs, before a strategic timeout was taken.

Healy was dealing in boundaries and initially she was particularly severe on off-spinner Shreyanka Patil, who leaked 24 runs in her first two overs thanks to flurry of boundaries by Australian star.

Medium pacer Komal Zanzad gave away 22 runs in her first two overs as two UP batters meant business, with Devika playing perfect second fiddle to aggressive Healy while also maintaining a strike rate of over run a ball.

Having conceded just two runs in her opening over, medium pacer Renuka Singh faced Healy's onslaught when she came on to bowl again, giving away 18 runs as Australian picked four boundaries on trot to inch closer to target.

Earlier, Sophie Devine (36 off 24 balls) started RCB innings by hitting Grace Harris for a four and a six off match's second and third deliveries, collecting 13 runs in opening over at Brabourne Stadium.

maximum was a super shot as Devine, seeing ball in slot, positioned herself perfectly and smoked it over deep mid wicket boundary.

Sharing new ball with Grace, left-arm seamer Anjali Sarvani ran into an in-form Devine as versatile New Zealander scored two fours off India bowler.

With RCB going very well at 29 for loss after three overs, UP Warriorz skipper Alyssa Healy effected a bowling change and brought on Rajeshwari Gayakwad into attack, and it paid dividends straightaway as bowler sent back RCB captain Smriti Mandhana (4) with her first ball.

It was a length delivery outside off stump, and Mandhana failed to time it and ended up giving an easy catch to Sarvani at extra cover, continuing her below-par outing in inaugural WPL.

Given situation, it was an excellent first over from Rajeshwari as she conceded just one run while taking big wicket of Mandhana.

Australian star Ellyse Perry wasted little time in finding her groove, scoring two boundaries off Sarvani to maintain RCB's fine run rate. n re was a four -- which came off a mishit -- and a six straight down ground against Rajeshwari's bowling after beautifully getting to pitch of ball.

Despite losing Mandhana, RCB racked up 54 runs in six powerplay overs.

Ecclestone bowled an ecomical seventh over before Perry struck two successive fours off experienced off-spinning all-rounder Deepti Sharma.

Ecclestone was rewarded for her fine bowling as she bowled Devine, who struck five fours and a six.

Perry continued with her attacking ways before Deepti took her out, much to UP team's relief. RCB lost plot after that, as duo of Deepti and Ecclestone kept taking wickets regularly.