Gujarat Giants Women delivered an impressive all-round performance against UP Warriorz Women in the 14th match of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 at Vadodara, securing a convincing 45-run victory. The match was filled with momentum shifts, key partnerships, and outstanding individual efforts that shaped the outcome from start to finish.
Batting first after being put in by their opponents, Gujarat Giants made an aggressive start. Beth Mooney and Danni Wyatt-Hodge quickly got the scoreboard moving. Wyatt-Hodge played an exciting innings, scoring 14 runs off just 8 balls with three boundaries before Kranti Gaud struck, dismissing her at 2.6 overs with the score at 23/1.
Mooney continued to anchor the innings, building a solid partnership with Anushka Sharma, who also added a quick 14 runs off 8 deliveries. However, this partnership was broken when Sharma fell to Gaud. Ashleigh Gardner struggled to find her rhythm, managing only 5 runs off 12 balls, leaving the Giants at 65/3 in the 10th over.
Mooney maintained her composure, partnering with Sophie Devine to steady the ship during the middle overs. Mooney eventually fell for a valuable 38 runs off 34 balls at 12.4 overs, with the score at 93/4. Bharti Fulmali added 5 runs before being run out, and Kanika Ahuja (6 runs off 5 balls) along with Kashvee Gautam (11 runs off 6 balls, which included a six) managed brief stays.
Devine played a key role at the end, remaining not out on 50 runs off 42 balls, helping the Giants to a competitive total of 153/8 in their 20 overs. Kranti Gaud and Sophie Ecclestone were the standout bowlers for UP Warriorz, each taking two wickets, while Deepti Sharma and Chloe Tryon chipped in with one wicket apiece.
In their chase of 154, UP Warriorz faced an early blow as Kiran Navgire was dismissed for a duck in the very first over. Meg Lanning added 14 runs off 10 balls before getting out, leaving them at 39/2. Phoebe Litchfield tried to stabilize the innings with a solid 32 runs off 27 balls, forming a partnership with Harleen Deol, but Deol struggled and fell for just 3 runs off 12 balls, bringing UP Warriorz to 59/4.
Deepti Sharma and Shweta Sehrawat also failed to capitalize, as the Giants’ bowlers tightened their grip during the middle overs. Chloe Tryon fought valiantly, scoring 30 not out off 22 balls, but lacked support from the other end. Asha Sobhana contributed 7 runs off 11 balls, and Sophie Ecclestone could only manage 1 run before being dismissed, resulting in UP Warriorz collapsing to 108 all out in 17.3 overs.
For the Giants, Rajeshwari Gayakwad was exceptional with the ball, taking 3 wickets for just 16 runs, while Sophie Devine and Renuka Singh picked up two wickets each. Both Kashvee Gautam and Ashleigh Gardner made important contributions with key wickets to maintain control over the chase.
Gujarat Giants put forth a strong team effort, highlighted by Sophie Devine’s unbeaten half-century and Rajeshwari Gayakwad’s standout bowling performance. This victory further solidifies Gujarat Giants’ standing in the WPL 2026, while the UP Warriorz will need to regroup and address their batting issues in their upcoming matches.
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