In a must-win game for both teams, Gujarat Giants rose to the occasion, thanks to a power-packed performance by Beth Mooney, helping them thrash UP Warriorz by 81 runs. Following this win, GG moved to second on the points table with six points, ahead of Mumbai Indians in third due to a better net run rate. This victory also marks GG’s third win in the Women’s Premier League — a first for them in three seasons.
A mix of red and black soil with a slight covering of grass made up the relaid pitch for the first-ever WPL game at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. A pretty hard surface, it looked good for the batters. UPW’s captain decided it was better to chase, following the trend of this season’s WPL.
Things didn’t go as well as Deepti Sharma would’ve hoped, as GG ran riot against the UPW bowlers, finishing with a run rate of 9.3 — led by none other than Mooney. After losing the early wicket of Dayalan Hemalatha, who has now failed to reach double digits in four of her five games, Mooney and Harleen Deol steadied the ship for GG. The duo stuck to the basics, rotating the strike while finding the boundary ropes at regular intervals. They stitched together a 101-run partnership before Sophie Ecclestone once again proved to be Deol’s kryptonite, dismissing her for the second time in six innings. Deol scored 45 off 32 balls.
With wickets starting to fall after Deol’s departure, the Australian opener showed her best, taking the bowlers to the cleaners.
“Muskuraaiye, aap Lucknow me hain (Smile, you are in Lucknow)” — that was Mooney each time she drove her opponent down the ground for one of her 17 boundaries. Clever with footwork, she toyed with the bowlers, keeping the scorecard ticking swiftly. With 24 singles and 17 fours, she came agonizingly close to scoring the first-ever century in WPL history but fell short by just four runs. It was a swashbuckling display of stroke-play, as she effortlessly found the gaps between the fielders. Mooney finished with a stunning 96 off 59 balls at a strike rate of 162.
While Deepti’s field placements were not the best, Ecclestone was UPW’s standout bowler, picking up the key wickets of Deol and Deandra Dottin, while conceding 34 runs. Left-arm spinner Gouher Sultana, one of the changes for Warriorz given Lucknow’s spin-friendly conditions, never got to bowl.
With 187 to chase, GG’s pace battery fully exploited the early swing available after the innings break. Dottin, Kashvee Gautam, and Meghna Singh reduced UPW to 25-4 within the powerplay.
The home team was never able to get going, losing wickets at regular intervals. Only Grace Harris, after surviving an early LBW decision with the help of a DRS call, managed to remain at the crease, though she scored at less than a run-a-ball. The Australian power-hitter eventually lost her wicket to left-arm orthodox Tanuja Kanwar via another LBW call — this time plumb in front of the stumps.
Chinelle Henry tried to retrieve the game for UPW with two sixes and three fours. However, it was too long a lost battle, as Kashvee cleaned up the tail to wrap up UPW’s innings for 105 within 18 overs, securing a huge victory for GG. Tanuja and Kashvee starred with the ball for GG, taking three wickets each.
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