Gujarat Giants (GG) got their 2nd victory of the tournament. This time they defeated Uttar Pradesh Warriorz (UPW) by 8 runs. It was a must win game for the Warriorz, but unfortunately they couldn’t make it.
Previously when the both teams met in an encounter in this 2024 WPL, Uttar Pradesh registered an easy victory over Gujarat by 6 wickets.
Giants after winning the toss, goes for batting.
The openers Laura Wolvaardt (43 runs) and captain Beth Mooney (74 runs not out) provided a solid start to the team. For the first wicket, they managed 60 runs. But the skipper stood in one end throughout the innings. She played 52 balls and hit 10 fours and a six.
The team finally ended up on 152 runs in 20 overs by losing 8 wickets.
Sophie Ecclestone got 3 wickets while Deepti Sharma settled with 2 wickets. Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Chamari Athapaththu both got 1 wicket each.
Warriorz during the chase lost their 5 wickets in just 35 runs and it was looking an easy victory for Gujarat. But then Deepti Sharma (88 runs not out) took the burden on her shoulder alone but unfortunately they remained short just by a few inches. She played 60 balls and hit 9 fours and 4 sixes.
She was supported by Poonam Khemnar (36 runs not out) from the other end. Both of them contributed unbeaten 109 runs for the 6th wicket. The team finally managed 144 runs in 20 overs by losing 5 wickets.
Shabnam Md Shakil got 3 wickets while Kathryn Bryce and Ashleigh Gardner got 1 wicket each.
It was a much needed victory for Uttar Pradesh to make their presence into the playoffs. After the loss, they remained in 4th spot with 6 points in the points table. On the other hand, it was Gujarat’s 2nd victory in the tournament and they have 4 points in 7 matches and are at the bottom of the table.