NEW DELHI: Phoebe Litchfield’s aggressive 78 off 40 balls could not prevent UP Warriorz from going down as Gujarat Giants registered a 10-run win in a high-scoring Women’s Premier League (WPL) match played on Saturday at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.Asked to bat first, Gujarat Giants put up a strong total of 207 for 4. Captain Ashleigh Gardner anchored the innings with a well-paced 65. Opener Sophie Devine set the tone early with 38 before being dismissed in the sixth over. Gardner then took control of the innings and built a key partnership with Anushka Sharma, who contributed 44 off 30 balls. The pair added 103 runs for the third wicket, placing the Warriorz bowlers under pressure.
Gardner’s innings came to an end in the 18th over when she was dismissed by Sophie Ecclestone. Georgia Wareham then provided the finishing touches with a quick unbeaten 27 off just 10 balls, which included one four and three sixes. Bharti Fulmali also chipped in with an unbeaten 14 off seven balls, hitting two sixes, as Gujarat Giants crossed the 200-run mark.For UP Warriorz, Ecclestone was the most effective bowler, returning figures of 2 for 32. Shikha Pandey and Deandra Dottin picked up one wicket each, while Deepti Sharma went wicket-less, conceding 32 runs in her three overs.Chasing 208, UP Warriorz had an early setback when opener Kiran Navgire was dismissed in the fifth ball of the innings by Renuka Singh. Captain Meg Lanning and Phoebe Litchfield then steadied the chase with a 70-run partnership for the second wicket. Lanning scored 30 off 27 balls, rotating the strike as Litchfield played the attacking role.The match turned sharply in Gujarat’s favour during a brief collapse. Lanning, Harleen Deol, and Deepti Sharma were dismissed in the space of five balls for the addition of just one run. Warriorz slipped from 73 for 1 to 74 for 4 by the 10th over, leaving the chase in trouble.Litchfield continued to counter-attack and found support from Shweta Sehrawat, who scored 25. The pair added 69 runs, keeping Warriorz in contention. Litchfield struck eight fours and five sixes during her knock, but her dismissal in the 16th over effectively ended the chase.Asha Sobhana provided late resistance with an unbeaten 27 off 10 balls, hitting three fours and two sixes, but the required rate proved too steep. UP Warriorz eventually finished on 197 for 8, falling short by 10 runs.For Gujarat Giants, Wareham completed a strong all-round outing with figures of 2 for 30. Renuka Singh and Sophie Devine claimed two wickets each, while Gardner and Rajeshwari Gayakwad picked up one wicket apiece, sealing a hard-fought win.
