Nat Sciver-Brunt has ticked off another milestone, becoming the first player to score a century in the Women’s Premier League. Her unbeaten 100 lifted Mumbai Indians to 199 for 4 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Monday’s afternoon heat at Vadodara.
The start had looked a touch shaky for Mumbai at 16 for 1 in the third over, yet Sciver-Brunt’s arrival settled things quickly. She shared 131 from 73 balls with the returning Hayley Matthews, then 42 from 25 deliveries with captain Harmanpreet Kaur. By the time she chipped Shreyanka Patil over cover in the final over to reach three figures, Mumbai’s dressing-room was on its feet.
“Yeah, obviously I’d seen a few players get out in the 90s, so I didn’t want to replicate that,” Sciver-Brunt said, referring to Smriti Mandhana’s 96 and Sophie Devine’s 95 earlier in the tournament. “But I also wanted to get as many runs as possible for the team. I’m really pleased we could get up to that total, and personally really happy as well.”
The celebration was understated: helmet off, bat raised, then a quick “T” formed with her arms. “Just a little nod to home,” she laughed. “Katherine is obviously watching – well, hopefully. She’s actually a really nervous watcher, so she’s probably not watching, but she wanted a ‘T’ and she wanted me to get three figures, so here we go.”
Matthews, back after a month out with a quad strain, looked fluent in her 61 off 40 balls. “Yeah, absolutely. Hayley will be so pleased to come back after a pretty long injury lay-off and get that kind of score. I really enjoy batting with her when I get the chance,” Sciver-Brunt added.
The hundred, her first in T20 cricket, also nudged Sciver-Brunt back to the top of the league’s run-scoring chart – a useful reminder of her consistency as Mumbai jostle for play-off spots. From an RCB point of view, Patil’s figures of 2 for 37 were respectable amid the onslaught, though the visitors leaked 63 in the last five overs.
Whether 199 proves enough will hinge on how Mandhana and company cope with Mumbai’s mixed spin pace attack under lights. Either way, the WPL’s first ton is on the board, breaking a curious run of near-misses and giving statisticians – and young fans – something fresh to log in their notebooks.
