India and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter Sabbineni Meghana said on Sunday that the support of the team’s ‘12th Man Army’, i.e the fans really “pumped her up” during her match-winning half-century against UP Warriorz in their Women’s Premier League (WPL) match on Sunday.
From the moment captain Smriti Mandhana stepped up for the toss, the RCB 12th-Man Army was boldly and vocally behind their home team at a packed M Chinnaswamy Stadium in their WPL Season 2 opener.
The rousing and overwhelming support, exemplifying RCB’s cohesive community, pumped up Sabbineni Meghana (53 in 44 balls, with seven fours and a six) representing RCB for the first time to stitch a game-turning 71-run partnership with Richa Ghosh (62 in 37 balls, with 12 fours).
The fourth-wicket stand boosted RCB from 54 for 3 to a solid total of 157 for 6, as they kickstarted their campaign with a win in the season season. Despite knocks from Grace Harris (38 in 23 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) and Shweta Sehrawat (31 in 25 balls, with two fours and a six), Asha Sobhana’s fantastic spell of 5/22 left UPW two runs short of the win.
Meghana acknowledged the contribution of the fan support, and spoke about what it meant for her as a RCB fan herself to score a half-century on RCB’s home debut in the WPL.
“It (the fans’ support) really got me pumped up. I do not know, like I was in a completely different zone. There is nothing I could hear,” Meghana said at the post-match press conference after the thrilling win on late Saturday night.
The knock encapsulated Meghana’s journey from a passionate RCB supporter off the field for a decade to being part of the tribe, playing a powerful matchwinner for her dream team. “It was just me and the ball.