Skipper Ekta Bisht, Gunjan Bhandari, and Amisha Bahukhandi star with the ball to give Nanital SG Pipers a comprehensive victory.
Uttarakhand became the 3rd state to launch a franchise league for women after Bengal (Bengal Women’s Pro T20 League), and Delhi (Women’s Delhi Premier League). The inaugural edition of the Uttarakhand Women’s T20 League is currently being held from the 18th to the 21st of September 2024.
A total of three teams namely, Nainital SG Pipers Pithoragarh Hurricanes, and Mussoorie Thunders will be participating in the inaugural edition of the tournament. The first game of the season between Pithoragarh Hurricanes led by skipper Neelam Bisht and Nanital SG Pipers led by skipper Ekta Bisht was washed out courtesy of persistent rain.
Nanital SG Pipers led by skipper Ekta Bisht were up against Mussoorie Thunders led by skipper Mansi Joshi in the 2nd match of the season. Mussoorie Thunders skipper Mansi Joshi won the toss and opted to bat first. Mussoorie Thunders got off to a poor start as they lost their top order inside the powerplay. Skipper Mansi Joshi joined wicket-keeper batter Nandini Kashyap at the crease, and the duo stitched a much-needed 61-run partnership for the 4th wicket to take their side close to the 100-run mark.
Vaishali Tulera picked up the wicket of the wicket-keeper batter Nandini Kashyap to provide the 4th breakthrough for Nanital SG Pipers. Mussoorie Thunders failed to capitalise on the platform provided by the 4th wicket partnership as they were restricted to 96/8 in their quota of overs. Mussoorie Thunders suffered a collapse as they lost their next four wickets for just 21 runs.
Wicket-keeper batter Nandini Kashyap (45 off 41 balls), skipper Mansi Joshi (14 off 31 balls), and Divya Bohra (8 off 6 balls) were the top performers with the bat for Mussoorie Thunders. Amisha Bahukhandi (4-0-8-1), Gunjan Bhandari (4-0-14-2), skipper Ekta Bisht (4-0-19-2), and Vaishali Tulera (4-1-24-1) were the top performers with the ball for Nanital SG Pipers.
Chasing a target of 97, the Nanital SG Pipers openers Manisha Pradhan and Megha Saini got their side off to a flying start with a 40-run opening partnership. Garima Bisht picked up the wicket of Megha Saini to provide the first breakthrough for the Mussoorie Thunders. Kanchan Parihar joined Manisha Pradhan at the crease and the duo stitched a crucial 21-run partnership for the 2nd wicket to take their side past the 50-run mark.
Prema Rawat picked up the wicket of Kanchan Parihar to provide the 2nd breakthrough for her side. Deepika Chand joined Manisha Pradhan at the crease and the duo stitched another crucial 33-run partnership for the 3rd wicket to take their side on the cusp of victory. Sakshi Joshi picked up the wicket of Deepika Chand to provide the 3rd breakthrough for Mussoorie Thunders.
Nanital SG Pipers got over the line with seven wickets in hand and 18 balls to spare. Manisha Pradhan (31* off 37 balls), Megha Saini (26 off 18 balls), and Deepika Chand (23 off 26 balls) were the top performers with the bat for Nanital SG Pipers. Sakshi Joshi (4-0-20-1), Prema Rawat (4-1-23-1), and Garima Bisht (3-0-17-1) were the top performers with the ball for Mussoorie Thunders.
Manisha Pradhan was awarded the Player of the Match for her brilliant match-winning performance (31 off 37 balls) with the bat for her side.