In a high-scoring Women’s Premier League encounter in Navi Mumbai on Saturday, Gujarat Giants defeated UP Warriorz by 10 runs despite Australian batter Phoebe Litchfield’s impressive knock of 78 off just 40 balls.
Gujarat Giants scored an outstanding 207 for 4 after captain Ashleigh Gardner struck a brilliant 65 before Georgia Wareham made a late cameo of an unbeaten 27 off just 10 balls.
Despite a brilliant counterattacking innings from Litchfield that kept the Warriorz in the hunt, that score turned out to be sufficient. However, Warriorz’s heroic resistance was all but destroyed when she left in the 16th over. During her knock, she struck 5 sixes and 8 fours.
Warriorz ultimately finished at 197 for 8, losing by 10 runs.
With three fours and two sixes, Asha Sobhana made a late comeback with an undefeated 27 off just 10 balls, but it was too late.
In addition to her spectacular cameo with the bat earlier in the day, Australian Georgia Wareham used her leg-spin to take two wickets for 30 runs for the Gujarat Giants.
Gardner and Rajeshwari Gayakwad both claimed one wicket, while Renuka Singh and Sophie Devine each took two.
With opener Kiran Navgire being dismissed by Renuka in the fifth ball, Warriorz’s pursuit of 208 got off to a rough start. However, with a 70-run partnership for the second wicket, captain and fellow opener Meg Lanning (30 off 27 balls) and one-down Phoebe Litchfield stabilized the batting.
After that, three batters—Lanning, Harleen Deol (0), and Deepti Sharma (1)—were removed for just one run in five balls, causing the Warriorz to have a minor collapse. The Warriorz dropped from 73 for 1 in the ninth over to 74 for 4 in the tenth.
Litchfield and Shweta Sehrawat (25) shared 69 runs for a while, but the Warriorz quickly lost wickets after that to lose the game.
Gardner had earlier led the Gujarat Giants to a significant total with a captain’s knock.
Gardner scored 103 runs for the third wicket with Anushka Sharma (44 off 30 balls) after opener Sophie Devine (38) fell in the sixth over, propelling her team over the 170-run threshold. In her 41-ball performance, she hit three sixes and six boundaries.
The Australian was dismissed in the 18th over by Sophie Ecclestone’s bowling, but Gujarat Giants surpassed the 200-run threshold thanks to Wareham’s incredible blitzkrieg, which included one four and three sixes.
With the aid of two sixes, Bharti Fulmali was also not out on 14 off seven balls.
With stats of 2 for 32, Ecclestone was the UP Warriorz’s best bowler; Shikha Pandey and Deandra Dottin both claimed one wicket.
In her three overs, star Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma gave up 32 runs while going wicketless.
