Nearly half of Kotambi’s holiday crowd had already begun drifting out by the time fan favourites RCB slumped to 35 for 5 inside the PowerPlay. Those who chose to stay, however, were treated to a spectacle few could have imagined was still to come.
When the penultimate over of RCB’s chase of 200 began on Monday (January 26), the equation read an improbable 59 off 12 balls. Richa Ghosh was well set but fast running out of partners. Mumbai Indians skipper Harmanpreet Kaur tossed the ball to Amanjot Kaur, and for the first half of the over, Ghosh showed her little mercy—enough to stop the remaining spectators from even thinking about beating the traffic back into Vadodara.
Amanjot’s attempted yorker first up slipped into a full toss. Ghosh went deep in her crease and launched it straight back over her India teammate’s head and into the sightscreen. The next delivery, a slot ball, met a similar fate, disappearing over long-on. A slower one followed, but it was short, and Ghosh pulled it emphatically into the deep midwicket stands, reports Live Cricket Score.
As Harmanpreet paused to confer with Amanjot before the fourth ball, the crowd rediscovered its voice. Ghosh had already cleared the arc between the sightscreen and midwicket. Was this setting up for six sixes, just hours after the first-ever WPL century? Or perhaps something even more audacious?
The moment, though, passed almost as quickly as it arrived. A change of angle worked in MI’s favour, just enough to deny Ghosh the strike. Even Shreyanka Patil’s back-to-back boundaries could only drag the requirement down to a still-daunting 32 off the final six balls. Ghosh fought on regardless, smashing Amelia Kerr for two sixes, but the dot balls that surrounded them ultimately sealed RCB’s fate.
Her frustration was plain to see—repeated, angry taps of her bat against her pads after every missed connection. MI’s collective exhale was just as visible. When Malolan Rangarajan offered a consolatory pat and a “well played, wonderful try,” Ghosh shot back with raw honesty: “Sir, 15 run kam tha.”
“That’s the mindset Richa has,” RCB’s acting head coach said later. “To get us to within 15 of that target is a herculean effort. I’m extremely happy for her. On her day, she can produce absolute magic—she can take apart any bowling attack.
“We’ve always spoken about putting pressure back on the opposition. The fact that they felt the heat defending about 52 [59] runs in the last two overs says everything about Richa as a player. Four sixes on the trot—it’s massive for her confidence. Coming into this tournament, she’s had impactful knocks, and this 90-odd was hugely important.”
Before this innings, Ghosh had just one meaningful contribution—a 28-ball 44 against Gujarat Giants—and only 93 runs across six innings in WPL 2026. Her blistering 50-ball 90 was not just a morale boost for RCB’s finisher but also helped limit the damage to their net run rate, which dipped only from +1.236 to +0.947.
Rangarajan shed light on how RCB recalibrated their approach after sliding to 35/5, while also keeping one eye on avoiding a heavy NRR hit.
“When Nadine and Richa started rebuilding, in the first timeout the players actually said they’d be happy chasing at 15 an over in the last five if they were still there,” he explained. “At the next timeout, when Richa was stranded with Aru, we tried setting a different target—not 200, but something more realistic. On this pitch, though, aiming for alternate targets can take you off course.
“So we spoke about giving ourselves a chance to chase 25 in the final over, where anything can happen. That was the clear conversation: if you’re there at the end and need four sixes, give yourself the best possible shot.”
Needing 32 off the last six wasn’t impossible for a hitter of Ghosh’s calibre, but it was still one maximum more than the realistic target RCB had mapped out. That naturally raised questions: should Shreyanka Patil—one of RCB’s four retained players and a proven allrounder—have been pushed up the order instead of coming in at No.10 as she had in recent games?
“We had very clear targets and were realistic about what was achievable,” Rangarajan said. “With wickets down and 100 to chase in the last six, we didn’t want to go too early and risk losing by 30 or 40 runs.
“We asked ourselves: what gives us the best chance to get those 95 runs? Could we get to a point where 25 in the last over was possible? If yes, then the task becomes 65 off the previous five. What can Aru do? Can she find a couple of boundaries? She started going for it. With Sayali Satghare, there were still 17 or 18 balls left—what could she contribute?
“We know the impact Shreyanka can have, and it’s a fair question whether she should bat higher. That’s something we’ll certainly consider going forward. At that moment, though, the thinking was to get someone who could rotate strike or find a boundary and keep Richa on strike.
“When Radha was sent up, there weren’t many options. Sayali bats well and has done well domestically. We back her areas. After that, it becomes clearer when to send Shreyanka.”
In the end, the points went to Mumbai. But Ghosh’s defiant, near-impossible assault ensured RCB stayed perched at the top of the table, their net run rate largely intact—and their hopes of a direct berth in the final very much alive.
