By Zainab Shafiq 
The Women’s Premier League 2023 season saw a close match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Giants on March 8. Despite Sophie Devine’s impressive knock of 66 off 45, Royal Challengers fell short by 11 runs while chasing a target of 202 runs set by the Giants.
Devine, who had been struggling with her form, expressed her gratitude for being a part of the Royal Challengers franchise and revealed her admiration for Virat Kohli, her favorite cricketer in the team. She commended Kohli’s innings of 82* off 53 against Pakistan in a T20 World Cup 2022 group-stage fixture on October 23.
Kohli’s innings, which included four sixes, was one of the most memorable in T20Is. He led India to a victory by chasing a target of 160 runs on the last ball of the innings with four wickets remaining. One of the highlights of his innings was a straight six off Haris Rauf’s delivery in the 19th over. Devine, like many cricket fans, was left in awe of the shot and termed it as the ‘shot of the year’.
Devine also expressed her excitement to be a part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore team, especially having watched them play in the IPL with their quality players. She particularly appreciated Kohli’s competitive nature and batsmanship. However, despite their efforts, Royal Challengers Bangalore still remain at the bottom of the WPL points table after their defeat against Giants. They will face Delhi Capitals in their next game at Navi Mumbai’s Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy on March 13.