Haryana defeat Vidarbha in the inaugural Women’s U15 One-Day Trophy

The addition of the U15 tournament besides the plethora of age-group tournaments being played in the women’s domestic cricket ecosystem has only made it exciting and giving fans so much to look forward to.

This tournament certainly lived up to the billing and we got to see some exceptional matches. The league phase of the tournament was played from 26th December to 3rd January. The pre-quarterfinals and quarterfinals happened on the 7th and 8th of January respectively. On 10th January, the semi-finals were played and the elusive final featuring heavyweights, Haryana and Vidarbha was played on 12th January.

Haryana and Vidarbha have had consistent runs throughout the tournament in the league phase and what worked well for them was how they were able to translate their good performances in the knockout phases as well. Reflecting on their journeys, Haryana defeated UP in the quarterfinals, defeated Tamil Nadu in the semi-finals and then landed in the finals while reflecting on Vidarbha’s journey, they got the better of Kerala in the pre-quarter-finals, defeated Karnataka in the quarterfinals and Hyderabad in the semi-finals to lock horns with Haryana in the finals.

In the finals, Haryana won the toss and opted to bat first. Batting first, they posted a competitive 187/3. Tanishka Sharma, the skipper led from the front with a scintillating 102 off 107 with even Deepika Kumari chipping in with 50 off 73, Haryana had a good score on the board. Vidarbha bowlers had a tough day but Diya Mehta and Shraddha Nabira with their solitary wickets could only do so much. Vidarbha chasing the total fell short by 57 runs. Ashwini and Shraddha Nabira were the only bright spots with their double-figure scores of 51 and 36 but the rest of the batting faltered. The Haryana bowlers looked formidable as Samiksha Yadav and Aadya Gupta scalped 2 and 3 wickets respectively with the other bowlers also chipping in which helped in restricting Vidarbha considerably. Their spirited team effort guided Haryana to this memorable victory and a tournament win.

Let’s also have a look at the top 5 run-getters and top 5 wicket-takers of this tournament:- 

All in all, the league presented an opportunity for youngsters to showcase their talent and stake their claim in their senior domestic sides and the national team which is the pinnacle. Jay Shah, the BCCI President also remarked on Twitter, “The tournament will serve as a pathway to U19 and help us identify and nurture talented cricketers”. With the Women’s IPL also looming, these young girls will be looking to make inroads into the various teams.

Summary: Finals (Under 15 One Day Trophy)

Haryana: 187-3 (35)
Tanishka Sharma (c): 102* (107)
Deepika Kumari: 50 (73)
Aadya Gupta: 3-22

Vidarbha: 130/10 (32.4)
Ashwini: 51 (69)
Shraddha Nabira: 36 (48)
Diya Manish Mehta: 1-7

Haryana won by 57 runs#CricketTwitter

— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) January 12, 2023

Neha Shetty

I am a first year postgraduate student pursuing a MA in Media and Communication Studies at Christ University, Bengaluru. I am a podcaster, blogger and an avid cricket fan. When not glued to cricket matches, you can find me submerged in books and thinking about cricket all the time.