Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, WPL 2025, Highlights: Smriti Mandhana smashed a blistering 47-ball 81 to power reigning champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a resounding eight-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals in the Women’s Premier League on Monday. RCB bowlers, led by Renuka Singh (3/23) and Georgia Wareham (3/25), produced a disciplined performance to bowl out Delhi for 141 in 19.3 overs. RCB’s opening duo of Smriti and Danni Wyatt-Hodge (42 from 33 balls; 7×4) made the target look effortless, forging a commanding 107-run partnership in just 55 balls before Richa Ghosh (11 not out from 5 balls) sealed the chase with a six in 16.2 overs. The Indian vice-captain Smriti smashed 10 fours and three sixes, dominating the bowlers with her signature sweeps, inside-out drives, and a towering pull over deep mid-wicket off Marizanne Kapp. (Scorecard)

The Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) is in full swing, and star Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry made the day of a young fan. Perry – who plays for Sydney Sixers – took time out of her WBBL schedule to bowl a couple of balls to a young fan who was wearing a shirt with her name and number on the back. The wholesome moment was witnessed by a number of people, many of whom were young children as well. Perry is one of the most popular female cricketers in the world.

First, Perry bowled a couple of under-arm balls to the young fan, who held the bat. Then she went on to give the fan a high-five, before taking the fan into her arms.

Watch: Ellyse Perry plays with a young fan

Perry, 34, is regarded as one of the premier all-rounders in women’s cricket. Representing Australia, she has won two ODI World Cup titles and six T20 World Cup titles.

She also turns out for Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) women’s team in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), and helped the franchise to its first-ever league title across men’s and women’s cricket in 2024. She was retained by the franchise ahead of WPL 2025.

Perry is currently the top run-scorer of WBBL 2024, having slammed 315 runs in six games at a strike-rate of more than 150. She has hit three fifties in the process. However, despite Perry’s heroics, the Sydney Sixers sit at fifth place in the league table, just outside the top four who qualify for the playoffs.

Not only is Perry one of Australia’s greatest women’s cricketers – boasting an average of 50 in WODIs – she is also a multi-talented sportsperson. Perry also has a football career to boast about, having represented Australia in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup, where she even scored her nation’s only goal in the quarter-final.

Australia will start as overwhelming favourites in their quest for an unprecedented eighth final appearance when they take on South Africa in the semi-final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Dubai on Thursday. Australia have now made it to the semi-finals of the global T20 tournament in all its nine editions held so far since 2009 in England. The six-time champions take on the Proteas women in a last-four clash in what seems to be a repeat of the summit showdown during the 2023 edition in South Africa, which the Southern Stars won by 19 runs.

Going by pure statistic, South Africa are no match for Australia who have won nine out of the 10 WT20I games, with the former’s only win coming in January this year.

The head-to-head record at Women’s T20 World Cup is even more intimidating as Australia have won all the seven encounters. The best part about the current Australian team is the core which has remained intact for years now with only Meg Lanning retiring from international cricket.

All the 10 others, who played in the 2023 final are here with the likes of Alyssa Healy, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Ashleigh Gardner being the pillars of the team.

On a slow Dubai track, the depth in batting has been Australia’s biggest strength, with Phoebe Litchfield and Annabel Sutherland capable of muscling the balls to the fence. For South Africa, one of their biggest assets has been slow left-arm orthodox Nonkululeko Mlaba, who has so far taken 10 wickets in four group league games.

Skipper Laura Wolvaardt, her opening partner Taznim Brits and the seasoned Marizanne Kapp are all match-winners in their own rights but they have always come up short against Healy and company.

Hopefully, the Proteas women would be eighth time lucky against familiar foes in their bid to win the maiden global T20 trophy.

India lost to defending champions Australia by nine runs in their last group match to find themselves in a difficult position to qualify for the semifinals of the women’s T20 World Cup, on Sunday. Chasing 152 for a win, India ended at 142 for 9 with captain Harmanpreet Kaur top-scoring with 54 not out off 47 balls. Deepti Sharma and Shafali Verma chipped in with 29 and 20 respectively. India ended their Group A campaign on four points after two wins and two losses.

Australia, who topped the group with all four wins, qualified for the semifinals while New Zealand (4 points) need a win against Pakistan on Monday to make it to the last-four stage.

Opting to bat, Australia were restricted to 151 for 8 with opener Grace Harris top-scoring with 40 off 41 balls. Stand-in captain Tahlia McGrath and Ellyse Perry chipped in with 32 each.

For India, Renuka Singh and Deepti Sharma took two wickets apiece while Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav and Shreyanka Patil got one each.

Brief Scores: Australia: 151 for 8 in 20 overs (Grace Harris 40; Renuka Singh 2/24, Deepti Sharma 2/28).

India: 142 for 9 in 20 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 54 not out; Annabel Sutherland 2/22, Sophie Molineux 2/32).

Australia women’s cricket star Ellyse Perry suffered one of the most strange dismissals in cricket on Sunday. The 33-year-old was run out while playing a T20I match for Australia women against New Zealand women. However, the manner in which she was dismissed can rank it amongst the most bizarre dismissals ever seen in cricket. The all-rounder first survived an LBW appeal from the bowler, but seemed to lose focus as she was run out by New Zealand wicket-keeper Izzy Grace.

Watch: Ellyse Perry suffers bizarre run out

Ellyse Perry won’t want to see this again any time soon pic.twitter.com/cZ1Y6Qx7nj

— England’s Barmy Army (@TheBarmyArmy) September 22, 2024

Batting well set on 34, Perry could not time a delivery by New Zealand spinner Amelia Kerr, but attempted to take a single despite not knowing where the ball had landed. An LBW appeal by Izzy Grace seemed to make Perry lose focus, as she did not realise that the ball had landed right in front of the wicketkeeper. Grace was quick to react and dislodge the bails, as Perry failed to realise and return to her crease on time.

After Perry’s dismissal, Australia suffered a mini-collapse. From 91/3 in 11.5 overs, Australia only managed a total of 142 in 20 overs. It proved to be more than enough in the end, as New Zealand could not chase the total down. They managed just 113, handing Australia a 29-run win. Surprisingly, Perry did not bowl.

The win for Australia gave them an unassailable 2-0 series lead over New Zealand in the three-match series. The series is the last bilateral series before the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup, and therefore serves as preparation for the big event.

Australia women boast a phenomenal record in the shortest format of the game. They have six of the eight Women’s T20 World Cup tournaments held till date, including the previous three in a row. India have finished runners-up once, and will be hoping to go one better this time.