Hayley Matthews slams her sixth WPL fifty: Key stats
What's the story
Hayley Matthews bolstered Mumbai Indians with a terrific knock against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 2026 Women's Premier League (WPL). She hammered a 39-ball 56, guiding the two-time champions to 199/4 in Match 16 at BCA Stadium, Vadodara. This included a 131-run stand with Nat Sciver-Brunt, who later became the tournament's first-ever centurion. Notably, Matthews slammed her maiden half-century of WPL 2026.
Knock
Matthews rescues MI with timely half-century
Lauren Bell dismissed MI opener Sajeevan Sajana early on after RCB elected to field. However, Matthews found support from Sciver-Brunt, as the duo took MI past 140 within 15 overs. Both Matthews and Sciver-Brunt continued to attack, with the former completing her half-century off 34 balls. In the 15th over, Bell broke the partnership by dismissing Matthews, who finished with 9 fours.
Career
Maiden half-century in WPL 2026
Matthews, who has been MI's go-to player since the inaugural edition, raced to her maiden half-century this season. Overall, the Caribbean all-rounder completed her sixth half-century in the tournament. Matthews now has 861 runs from 33 WPL matches, all for MI, at a strike rate of 122.47. She owns 103 runs with a strike rate of 130.37 in the ongoing season.
Information
Record century stand
As mentioned, Matthews and Sciver-Brunt added 131 runs off 73 balls for the second wicket. According to Cricbuzz, this was the fourth century stand between the two, the most in the WPL. Meg Lanning and Shafali Verma have three such partnerships.