WPL 2024: Harmanpreet Kaur’s wicket the turning point of the eliminator, say RCB, MI coaches

Yet another masterclass from Ellyse Perry notwithstanding, Mumbai Indians would not have been wrong to think it had a grip on this Eliminator for 75 per cent of the evening. RCB’s quick thinking, persistence and the brilliance of a few personalities helped the side knock out the defending champion. 

RCB assistant coach Malolan Rangarajan admitted that the belief that his side could seal the game came after Harmanpreet’s dismissal. 

“As a cricket team, we know chasing has been difficult and that would have been running in their mind. They would have wanted to hit big sixes. When we batted, as soon as we played the fifth to sixth over, we knew 150-160 would be a good score. We had too many dot balls. I am not able to pinpoint when that belief crept in exactly but I think when Harman got out, we thought there was something there for us.”

Rangarajan hailed Asha Sobhana for holding her nerve in the tense finish. 

Report | RCB pulls off last-over thriller to knock out Mumbai Indians; to face Delhi Capitals in final

“Our idea was to bowl the best of our bowlers, take the game to the last over and see what comes of it. When I was playing, VB Chandrasekhar once made a statement to us where he said players are made in four minutes i.e one over. Credit to Asha. To bowl leg spin with a shorter boundary on one side and see the game through took me back to this line.”

“We lost the game when we should have won it,” MI head coach Charlotte Edwards conceded after the game, agreeing that Harmanpreet’s wicket turned the tide. 

“You can cope with things when you don’t play well, but we were doing so well and we didn’t cope well today and it’s brought the end of our tournament,” she added.