Haridwar Storm, led by skipper Sweta Verma, were up against Tehri Queens, led by skipper Neelam Bhardwaj, in the 2nd game of the double-header day to kickstart the 2nd edition of the Women’s Uttarakhand Premier League (WUPL) 2025 on 23rd September.
Earlier in the day, Pithoragarh Hurricanes defeated the defending champions, Mussoorie Thunders, by 7 wickets in the 1st game of the season.
The Tehri Queens bowlers, with skipper Neelam Bhardwaj at the forefront, pulled off a decent effort with the ball, after she won the toss and opted to bowl first. Haridwar openers Dipika Chand and Jyoti Giri got them off to a solid start with a 37-run opening partnership. Sabhya struck twice in the 7th over of the innings to remove a well-set Jyoti Giri (21 off 24 balls), followed by the skipper, Sweta Verma, for a golden duck, bringing the Queens firmly back into the contest.
Kanak Tapraniya joined Dipika Chand at the crease, and the pair stitched another vital 56-run partnership for the 2nd wicket, which also took them closer to the 100-run mark. Nisha Mishra broke the stand, by sending Kanak Tapraniya (36 off 28 balls) back to the pavilion in the 16th over of the innings to provide the 3rd breakthrough for her side. Haridwar Storm eventually posted a competitive total of 116/7 in their quota of 20 overs. Dipika Chand (47 off 56 balls) was the stand-out performer with the bat for Storm.
Skipper Neelam Bhardwaj (3-0-20-3) was sensational with the ball for her side. Sabhya (4-0-20-2), Nisha Mishra (4-0-24-1) and Kanika Negi (3-1-12-0) were impressive with the ball for the Tehri Queens.
The Queens, chasing a total of 117, were made to work hard for each run, courtesy of a spirited bowling performance from the Haridwar unit, taking the chase to the final over of the innings. On a pitch where most of the batters struggled to get going, skipper Neelam Bhardwaj seemed like she was batting on a completely different track.
She single-handedly smashed the Haridwar bowlers all over the park en route to her match-winning unbeaten half-century 86* (64 balls), guiding her side over the line with 7 wickets in hand and five balls to spare. She stitched a massive unbeaten 78-run partnership for the 4th wicket alongside Ankita Bisht (17* off 27 balls). The skipper peppered the boundary ropes 14 times during her match-defining knock.
Safina Aziz (4-0-21-0), Kalpana Verma (4-0-22-0), and Garima Bisht (3-0-17-0) were impressive with the ball for Haridwar. All three of the Queens’ wickets came courtesy of a run-out. Skipper Neelam Bhardwaj was awarded the Player of the Match for her impactful all-round performances, returning with match figures of 3-0-20-3 with the ball, and scoring an unbeaten 86* (64 balls) with the bat to guide her side over the line in a tricky run chase.
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