UP Warriorz have secured their place in the playoffs of the inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL) after a thrilling victory over Gujarat Giants at Brabourne Stadium on Monday. The team was able to turn the momentum in their favour after being reduced to 39/3 in the powerplay, thanks to a brilliant partnership between Grace Harris and Tahlia McGrath, who scored 72 off 41 and 57 off 38, respectively.
Chasing a target of 179, the Warriorz got off to a bad start when Alyssa Healy was dismissed cheaply in the second over. However, McGrath was given a lifeline when she was dropped by Tanuja Kanwar in the fifth over, which she capitalized on by hitting three boundaries and taking the powerplay total to 53/3.
Harris and McGrath then put on a 78-run partnership for the fourth wicket, taking the score past the 100-run mark in the 12th over. Harris hit two maximums and a boundary in the over to increase the run rate, and McGrath brought up her fifty off just 34 balls in the next over.
Sneh Rana put an end to McGrath's knock of 57 runs, and Deepti Sharma was dismissed soon after, reducing the Warriorz to 130/5 in 15 overs. Harris then completed her fifty against the Giants and hit a one-bounce four and a six in the same over to build pressure on the opposition.
With 7 runs needed off 8 balls, Harris was dismissed after going for a big hit down the ground, but Sophie Ecclestone was able to seal the deal for the Warriorz with a boundary off the penultimate ball of the match.
Earlier in the day, Gujarat Giants had posted 178 thanks to scintillating knocks from Dayalan Hemalatha (57 off 33) and Ashleigh Gardner (60 off 39). The team had a strong start to their innings but lost three wickets in the powerplay. Hemalatha and Gardner then put on a brilliant 93-run partnership for the fourth wicket before Hemalatha was dismissed in the 17th over. Gardner went on to score her second half-century in four games but was unable to prevent her team from falling to a three-wicket defeat.
With this victory, the UP Warriorz have secured their place in the playoffs of the Women's Premier League, which promises to be an exciting conclusion to what has been a highly entertaining tournament so far.
Brief scores:
Gujarat Giant 178/6 in 20 0vers (Dayalan Hemalatha 57, Ashleigh Gardner 60; Parshavi Chopra 2-29, Rajeshari Gayakwad 2-39 lost to UP Warriorz 181/7 in 20 overs (Grace Harris 72, Tahlia McGrath 57; Kim Garth 2-029) by 3 wickets.