Ellyse Perry has been hailed as a "fighter" by her Royal Challangers Bangalore team after rising from her sick bed to produce a battling innings in their Women's Premier League loss to champions Mumbai Indians.
The great Australian allrounder had missed RCB's previous match while laid up with illness and her return at their home ground in Bengaluru on Saturday was a welcome boost for the hosts even though there was concern that the 33-year-old was not at 100 per cent.
After Mumbai had won the toss and inserted RCB, the home side then crumbled to 5-71 by the 13th over, with No.4 batter Perry called upon to oversee a rescue act against an impressive attack led by England allrounder Nat Sciver-Brunt (2-27) and Indian medium pacer Pooja Vastrakar (2-14).
Assisted largely by fellow Australia international Georgia Wareham (27 off 20 balls), with whom she shared a crucial 52-run partnership, Perry, while not at her very best, still chiselled out an unbeaten 44 off 38 balls to steer RCB to a respectable 6-131.
"Pez is a fighter," said RCB captain Smriti Mandhana after their seven-wicket defeat. "I would not say she was 100 per cent tonight as well after her illness, but no-one watching would have said so. I'm happy that she got us to 131."
But after an innings in which not one batter managed a single six, the total never looked as if it would be enough against the hugely powerful Mumbai batting lineup.
Sprightly contributions from Yastika Bhatia (31 off 15), Hayley Matthews (26 off 21) and Sciver-Brunt (27 off 25), were then topped off by a nice finishing job from New Zealand's player of the match Amelia Kerr, who was unbeaten on 40 as Mumbai eased to 3-133 off just 15.1 overs.
With the ball, Perry went for just 10 runs off her two overs, while RCB's Aussie spinners Sophie Molineux (0-26 off three) and Wareham (1-18 off 2.1) proved more expensive.
The victory puts Mumbai back on top of the WPL ladder with six points from their four matches.
Meg Lanning's Delhi Capitals have four points from three games, and are leading Alyssa Healy's UP Warriorz and RCB, who've played four each, by virtue of a superior net run-rate.
Beth Mooney's Gujarat Giants, who are yet to win a match, have a chance of breaking their duck against Delhi in Bengaluru on Sunday (Monday AEDT).
