English cricket superstar Nat Sciver-Brunt has etched her name in the history books by scoring the first-ever century in the Women’s Premier League. The monumental achievement occurred during Mumbai’s thrilling 15-run triumph over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Mumbai, ending a 1059-day wait for the competition’s inaugural triple-figure score.
Sciver-Brunt’s spectacular 57-ball century featured an explosive display of batting prowess with 16 boundaries and one six, propelling Mumbai to a formidable total of 4-199. Her record-breaking performance was particularly fitting given her status as the WPL’s all-time leading run-scorer with 1,346 runs at an impressive average of nearly 52.
The milestone had eluded numerous elite players throughout the league’s history, with Australian opener Georgia Voll and New Zealand veteran Sophie Devine both falling agonizingly short at 99 runs. Australian legends Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney had also approached the mark with unbeaten 96-run performances.
Reflecting on her historic achievement, Sciver-Brunt stated: ‘I’d seen a few players get out in the 90s, so I didn’t want to replicate that. I 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. This is my first T20 hundred, so I’m really happy to get over that milestone, and hopefully it’s not the last.’
The victory was secured despite the efforts of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who fell short in their run chase as Australian players Grace Harris and Georgia Voll failed to deliver significant contributions with the bat.