On a day when every ball mattered, Mussoorie Thunders Women secured a thrilling 3-wicket victory over Nainital SG Pipers Women, clinching the title of the inaugural Uttarakhand Women’s Premier League. Fans can scroll down to see highlights from the match.
Played under overcast conditions on a bowling-friendly pitch, the match posed significant challenges for the batters. Mussoorie Thunders made a smart tactical decision by opting to field first after winning the toss. Despite a valiant effort from the Nainital batting lineup, Mussoorie’s bowlers consistently took wickets and restricted the flow of runs, ending Nainital’s innings at 118/8. When it was time to chase, Mussoorie’s batters faced their own challenges but displayed commendable resilience, successfully chasing down the target in 19.3 overs to win the tournament’s first edition.
Match Highlights
Rudra Sharma – 3/20 (Mussoorie Thunders)
Rudra Sharma’s disciplined bowling made her a key player for Mussoorie Thunders Women. She dismissed Kanchan Parihar for 20 runs, Kanak Tapraniya for 29 runs, and Gunjan Bhandari for a golden duck, maintaining an economy rate of 5. Her spell was instrumental in breaking through Nainital’s batting lineup, ensuring that Mussoorie stayed well within reach of their target.
Gunjan Bhandari – 3/18 (Nainital SG Pipers)
Gunjan Bhandari emerged as the standout bowler for Nainital SG Pipers Women, showcasing her accuracy and control as she dismissed three key players: Nandini Kashyap for 28 runs, Captain Mansi Joshi for a golden duck, and impact player Gayatri Arya for 6 runs, all at an economy rate of just 4.50. Displaying her agility in the field, she took a sharp catch to dismiss Reena Jindal and executed a well-timed run-out of Sakshi Joshi.
Prema Rawat – 1/26 & 32*(26) (Mussoorie Thunders)
In the first innings, Prema claimed the wicket of opener Megha Saini and took a crucial catch to dismiss Nainital captain Ekta Bisht. In the chase, Prema Rawat shone with the bat for Mussoorie Thunders, anchoring the innings with a brilliant knock of 32 runs off just 26 balls. Her aggressive batting, which included 1 boundary and 3 sixes, resulted in a strike rate of 123.07. Her all-round performance was pivotal to Mussoorie’s victory, earning her the Player of the Match award.