ENGLAND captain Nat Sciver-Brunt became the first player to score a century in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) after hitting an unbeaten 100 for Mumbai Indians against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Monday (26).
Sciver-Brunt reached the landmark in the 82nd match of the tournament, ending a long wait for a WPL hundred. Mumbai went on to win the match by 15 runs.
Several players had come close in previous seasons. Australia’s Georgia Voll scored 99 not out against RCB last year, while New Zealand’s Sophie Devine fell one run short against Gujarat Giants during the league’s first season in 2023.
The 33-year-old all-rounder scored her century from 57 balls and said she was keen to avoid missing out like others before her.
“I’d seen a few players get out in the 90s, so I didn’t want to replicate that,” Sciver-Brunt said after the first innings.
She added that the knock was her first hundred in T20 cricket. “I’m really happy to get over that milestone, and hopefully it’s not the last,” she said.
In contrast, the men’s Indian Premier League (IPL) saw a century in its very first match in 2008, when Brendon McCullum scored an unbeaten 158 for Kolkata Knight Riders against RCB. Since then, 110 centuries have been scored in the IPL, with Virat Kohli leading the list with eight.
The fourth season of the WPL is set to end with the final on February 5.
(Agencies)
