Mumbai Indians (MI) secured a crucial 15-run victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Match 16 of the TATA Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara, largely thanks to a scintillating, unbeaten century by Natalie Sciver-Brunt – the first in the history of the WPL.

Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Mumbai Indians got off to a slow start in the powerplay, (38/1), losing Sajeevan Sajana early to another early wicket this season for the consistent Lauren Bell. Sciver-Brunt and Hayley Matthews built a magnificent partnership for the second wicket, shifting the momentum dramatically. Boundaries began to flow after the halfway stage, with the duo putting on 131 runs, before Matthews walked back for an impressive 56(39).

Captain Harmanpreet Kaur contributed with a brisk cameo, but the star of the show was Sciver-Brunt. With a single to long-off off the bowling of Shreyanka Patil in the last over of the innings, Sciver-Brunt broke a long-standing jinx of the 90s in the WPL, ending her innings on 100*(57), including 16 fours and a six.

MI posted a mammoth 199/4 on the board in their 20 overs. Bell was the pick of the RCB bowlers, taking two wickets for 21 runs on a day that saw her teammates going at atleast 10 runs per over.

Chasing a daunting target of 200, RCB's innings got off to a disastrous start, losing five wickets for just 35 runs inside the powerplay. The top order, including captain Smriti Mandhana, crumbled under pressure from Shabnim Ismail's pace and Matthews' spin.

Ismail picked up the wickets of Grace Harris and Gautami Naik with bowling figures of 2/15 in her three overs inside the powerplay. Meanwhile, Matthews picked up 3/10 in her two overs, with the wickets of Mandhana, Georgia Voll, and Radha Yadav.

Despite the early collapse, Richa Ghosh launched a sensational counter-attack, keeping RCB's hopes alive with a breathtaking 90 runs off just 50 balls, featuring 10 fours and 6 sixes. She found a partner in Nadine de Klerk, who chipped in with a vital 28 runs, but the asking rate and the consistent fall of wickets proved too much to overcome. Ghosh smashed five sixes and a boundary in the space of eight deliveries during the final two overs.

MI’s victory took them to the second spot on the points table, thus boosting their chances of reaching the playoffs. Meanwhile, despite the loss, RCB can still seal top spot on the points table and book a place in the final if they win their last league game.