Beth Mooney’s outstanding innings of 96 not out, combined with impressive bowling spells from Kashvee Gautam (3-11) and Tanuja Kanwar (3-17), powered Gujarat Giants to a commanding 81-run victory against UP Warriorz. The match took place at the BRSABV Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. Harleen Deol also played a valuable supporting role with 45 runs. UP Warriorz faced early setbacks as Deandra Dottin’s sharp bowling dismissed their top-order batsmen quickly.
The pitch favored batting, but Chinelle Henry managed to get the ball to move away from right-handers early on. This movement led to Dayalan Hemalatha being caught behind in the first over while attempting an expansive drive. Despite this early success with the ball, it was the only breakthrough for the home team in the initial stages. Mooney and Deol then rebuilt the innings with a strong 101-run partnership for the second wicket.
During their partnership, Deol and Mooney showed excellent coordination, effectively using sweep shots towards square leg and following up with elegant drives through the covers. Mooney also displayed skillful touches to third-man and used her footwork well against spin bowling. Deol contributed two boundaries on the offside, helping Gujarat Giants reach 50 runs in the seventh over. Both batters ran between the wickets effectively, even putting pressure on Sophie Ecclestone. They scored three boundaries off Henry before Mooney reached her half-century with a powerful flat-batted shot against Deepti Sharma.
Ecclestone broke the century partnership by dismissing Deol, but Mooney continued her aggressive batting, hitting young Kranti Goud for three boundaries in the following over. The Australian batter continued to execute her flat-batted shots effectively, progressing through the sixties and seventies as the innings moved towards the final overs. Ashleigh Gardner, Mooney’s batting partner at the time, scored a boundary after a break but was then caught out off Ecclestone’s bowling on the very next ball. Dottin started her innings with a four over the top.
Dottin continued to attack 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 period, Mooney faced very few balls, only five deliveries in the last four overs, and remained stranded on 96 not out 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 in this crucial phase. Kiran Navgire, known for her hard-hitting, was caught at slip on the first ball after Dottin got the ball to move away with the seam. Georgia Voll’s debut in the Women’s T20 league was also disappointing as her stumps were uprooted by a sharp inswinging delivery. Despite Grace Harris surviving a review, UP Warriorz found no relief. Vrinda Dinesh was the next batter dismissed, missing her scoop shot and getting bowled. Deepti Sharma was the fourth wicket to fall in the powerplay, with Meghna Singh taking a wicket.
Amidst the collapse, Harris struggled to score 25 runs off 30 balls. She also missed a scoop shot and was trapped LBW. Harris’s dismissal left UP Warriorz at six wickets down for just 48 runs, as Shweta Sehrawat had 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 hit a six down the ground and then powerfully cut the ball for a boundary through point. The aggressive batting continued as Meghna Singh conceded 17 runs in an over, but Henry’s innings ended when she was caught out at deep mid-wicket. Ecclestone and Chetry managed to resist the Gujarat Giants’ attack for a short while before UP Warriorz collapsed again. Gautam returned to take two wickets in two balls, and Kanwar dismissed Ecclestone, securing a dominant 81-run victory for Gujarat 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.
