The inaugural edition of the ‘Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Women’s T20 Cricket Tournament‘, organized by the Cricket Association of Lucknow (CAL), concluded with Agra claiming the championship title. In a thrilling Final, Agra dealt a surprising blow to Kanpur, securing a commanding 5-wicket victory.
Semi-Final 1:
CAL Blue, riding high on their unbeaten run, successfully limited Agra to a modest total of 84 runs. However, the match that was expected to be a comfortable victory turned into an absolute nightmare for CAL Blue. In a stunning turn of events, they lost all 10 wickets for a paltry 82 runs. The team’s dream of reaching the Final was shattered, narrowly missing out by a heartbreaking margin of just three runs.
Semi-Final 2:
In a display of dominance, the sole remaining unbeaten team, Kanpur, set a competitive total of 153 runs for the loss of 4 wickets while batting. Keeping in line with expectations, Kanpur’s impressive performance carried over into the bowling innings, limiting Varanasi to a score of 83 runs for the loss of 8 wickets after 20 overs. With a commanding 70-run victory over Varanasi, Kanpur extended their winning streak and secured a place in the Final.
Final:
On a challenging wicket, Kanpur’s top 3, Babita Yadav, skipper Ekta Singh, and Tripti Singh contributed 19, 42, and 22 runs respectively. At the end of the 15th over, Kanpur was 3 down for 83, with all wickets falling to Sampda Dixit. What followed was a stunning collapse as Kanpur could only add 17 runs to their total, losing 7 wickets in the process. Sampda claimed the last couple of wickets, completing a remarkable 5-wicket haul and bowling out Kanpur for 100 runs.
Agra beat Kanpur to win the 1st Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Womens T-20 Cricket Tournament 2023 in Lucknow 👏#CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/FsMJETJwh9
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) May 26, 2023
In response, Agra witnessed Sampda’s impressive knock of 28 runs, setting the foundation with a run-a-ball rate and forming a promising 49-run opening partnership. Fellow opener Pooja, standing firm amidst a few dismissals, added valuable 33 runs. Anjali’s quick cameo of 19 off 16 balls helped narrow down the target. Disha Singh and Supriya Arela guided the team over the line remaining unbeaten on scores of 6 (8) and 9 (5) respectively, securing a commanding 5-wicket win with 9 balls remaining.
With only one defeat in the league game and the championship title secured, Agra’s surreal finish involved handing defeats to the two unbeaten sides, CAL Blue and Kanpur, in the knockouts to claim the championship.
