There are nights in a league’s history that redefine what is possible. On a warm Monday evening in Vadodara, the Women’s Premier League found one of those moments as Nat Sciver-Brunt became the first batter in the tournament’s history to score a century, lifting Mumbai Indians to a dramatic 15-run victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru and breathing life back into their 2026 campaign.
The numbers alone told the story. Sciver-Brunt’s unbeaten 100 off 57 balls, laced with 16 fours and a six, carried Mumbai to 199 for four, the highest total of the season. In response, RCB threatened a miracle through a sensational rearguard from Richa Ghosh, who smashed a 50-ball 90, but Mumbai held their nerve to close out a contest that swung violently from one end to the other.
A landmark innings for the WPL
Before Monday night, the WPL had seen ten scores in the nineties across four seasons, but the elusive three-figure mark had remained untouched. That it was Sciver-Brunt who finally crossed it felt almost inevitable. Across seasons, she has been the league’s most reliable all-format performer a cricketer who blends classical technique with modern power, and whose game seems tailor-made for T20 pressure.
Sent in to bat by Smriti Mandhana after RCB won the toss, Mumbai had to weather an early wobble. Lauren Bell struck in the third over to remove Sajeevan Sajana, and for a brief period, RCB found some movement and discipline with the new ball. But once Sciver-Brunt joined Hayley Matthews in the middle, the tone of the evening changed.
The pair built a breathtaking second-wicket stand of 131 off just 73 balls, a partnership that systematically dismantled RCB’s bowling. Matthews provided the early momentum, picking off anything short or straying on her pads, while Sciver-Brunt was the anchor and the accelerator rolled into one. When spin came on, she cut and swept with authority; when pace returned, she drove and pulled with serene confidence.
The decisive phase came between overs 11 and 14, when Mumbai plundered 67 runs. Shreyanka Patil and Arundhati Reddy were punished, and even when RCB tried to slow things down with variations, Sciver-Brunt found a way to pierce the gaps. Her fifty came off just 35 balls, but she was only getting started.
Matthews’ dismissal for a well-crafted 56 offered RCB a brief respite, but by then Mumbai were already in command. Harmanpreet Kaur walked in with licence to attack, and the pair added valuable late momentum. Sciver-Brunt, though, was always the focal point. With every boundary, the Kotambi Stadium grew louder, and when she clipped a single in the final over to bring up her century, history was made. Mumbai finished on 199 for four a target that felt just beyond the reach of even RCB’s formidable batting.
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The chase began with promise. Grace Harris took on Sciver-Brunt in the second over, smashing three boundaries to signal intent. But that aggression soon gave way to chaos. Shabnim Ismail’s raw pace and Hayley Matthews’ off-spin ripped through the top order, removing Harris, Mandhana and Georgia Voll in quick succession. At 31 for three inside four overs, RCB were wobbling. When Gautami Naik and Radha Yadav fell soon after, the scoreboard read a grim 40 for five. Mumbai had their foot firmly on the accelerator, and the contest looked all but decided.
Richa Ghosh’s extraordinary fightback
Enter Richa Ghosh. Batting at No. 6 with little support around her, the 21-year-old launched one of the most audacious counterattacks in WPL history. Against Ismail, Kerr and Amanjot Kaur, she found the boundary with a mix of brute force and fearless intent. Even as wickets kept tumbling at the other end, Richa refused to retreat.
By the halfway mark, RCB were 70 for five, still miles behind the rate but alive because of Richa’s striking. She took particular aim at Amelia Kerr and Vaishnavi Sharma, hitting them for a flurry of fours, dragging her side past 100 and into a realm of unlikely possibilities. The defining moment came in the 19th over. With RCB needing an improbable 59 off 12 balls, Richa turned Amanjot Kaur inside out, smashing three consecutive sixes before Shreyanka Patil joined the party with two crisp boundaries. Twenty-seven came off the over, and suddenly the equation was down to 32 off six balls.
The stadium buzzed with disbelief. Could RCB actually do it?
Richa, now in the 90s, went after Amelia Kerr in the final over, hitting two more sixes that sent the crowd into rapture. For a fleeting moment, her century and a miracle victory seemed within reach. But cricket, cruel as ever, had a final twist. Richa was dismissed off the last ball, and Mumbai emerged victorious by 15 runs.
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For Mumbai Indians, this was more than just two points. Entering the match under pressure, with playoff hopes hanging by a thread, they needed something special. They got it through Sciver-Brunt’s masterpiece and a collective bowling effort that, despite Richa’s heroics, never lost its composure.
The result lifted MI to second on the table with six points from seven matches, keeping them firmly in the playoff race. RCB, already qualified, remain top but will be left pondering how they allowed a game that swung so wildly to slip away.
Yet this night will be remembered not for the points table, but for a milestone. The WPL has its first centurion, and her name is Nat Sciver-Brunt a batter whose blend of elegance and power has now etched itself into the league’s history.
