Beth Mooney’s incredible unbeaten 96 runs, combined with impressive bowling spells from Kashvee Gautam (3 wickets for 11 runs) and Tanuja Kanwar (3 wickets for 17 runs), enabled Gujarat Giants to achieve a resounding victory over UP Warriorz. Gujarat Giants won by a significant 81 runs at the BRSABV Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. Harleen Deol also contributed with a valuable 45 runs, further bolstering Gujarat Giants’ performance. UP Warriorz faced early setbacks as Deandra Dottin quickly took two wickets, disrupting their top order.
The pitch favored batting, but Chinelle Henry managed to get the ball to move away from right-handed batters early on. This movement led to Dayalan Hemalatha being caught behind in the first over while attempting an aggressive shot. Despite this early success with the ball, it remained the only breakthrough for the home team in the initial stages. Mooney and Deol then rebuilt the innings with an impressive 101-run partnership for the second wicket.
During their partnership, Deol and Mooney worked together effectively. They used sweep shots towards square leg and followed up with elegant drives through the covers. Mooney also skillfully played delicate shots towards third man and used her footwork well against spin bowling. Deol added two boundaries on the offside, helping Giants reach 50 runs in the seventh over. The pair ran between the wickets efficiently and even attacked Sophie Ecclestone’s bowling. They then scored three more boundaries off Henry, after which Mooney reached her half-century by powerfully hitting Deepti Sharma.
Ecclestone ended the century partnership by dismissing Deol. However, Deol’s dismissal didn’t stop the in-form Mooney, who continued to punish the young bowler Kranti Goud by hitting three boundaries in the following over. Mooney continued her powerful, flat-batted shots, quickly moving through the sixties and seventies as the innings approached its final overs. Her batting partner at that time, Ashleigh Gardner, hit a boundary after the timeout but was then caught out off Ecclestone’s bowling on the very next ball. Dottin started her innings with a four over the infield.
Dottin continued her aggressive approach against Ecclestone, hitting a six and a four before being dismissed leg before wicket (LBW). Phoebe Litchfield also came and went quickly after scoring a boundary. Importantly, during this phase, Mooney faced very few balls. She only faced five deliveries in the last four overs and remained unbeaten on 96 at the end of the innings, despite being well-placed to score a century.
The run chase effectively ended in the powerplay overs as UP Warriorz lost a series of wickets during this critical period. The powerful hitter Kiran Navgire was caught at slip on the first ball after Dottin managed to get some seam movement away from the bat. Georgia Voll’s debut in the WPL was also disappointing as her stumps were bowled over by a sharp inswinging delivery. Despite Grace Harris successfully overturning an LBW decision through a review, UP Warriorz found no relief. Vrinda Dinesh was the next batter dismissed, missing her attempted scoop shot and getting bowled. Deepti Sharma became the fourth wicket to fall in the powerplay, with Meghna Singh also contributing with a wicket.
Amidst the collapse, Harris struggled to score 25 runs off 30 balls. She too attempted a scoop shot but was trapped LBW. Harris’s dismissal left UP Warriorz in deep trouble at 48 runs for six wickets, as Shweta Sehrawat had already been dismissed earlier by Gardner.
In an attempt to prolong the innings, Henry and Uma Chetry put together a 35-run partnership, with Henry taking the lead in scoring. Henry immediately started aggressively, hitting a six down the ground and then powerfully hitting the ball through point for a boundary. The aggressive hitting continued as Meghna Singh conceded 17 runs in an over, but Henry was eventually dismissed, caught in the deep mid-wicket region. Ecclestone and Chetry managed to resist the Gujarat Giants’ attack for a short period before the UP Warriorz batting lineup collapsed again. Gautam returned to take two wickets in two balls, and Kanwar then bowled out Ecclestone, securing a dominant 81-run victory for the Giants.
Brief Scores: Gujarat Giants 186/5 in 20 overs (Beth Mooney 96*, Harleen Deol 45; Sophie Ecclestone 2-34) defeated UP Warriorz 105 in 17.1 overs (Chinelle Henry 28, Grace Harris 25; Kashvee Gautam 3-11, Tanuja Kanwar 3-17) by 81 runs.
