We are in the 5th edition of the Women’s T20 Challenger Trophy in 2024, with a total of five teams featuring; Team A, Team B, Team C, Team D, and Team E.
Team A led by skipper Harleen Deol was up against Team B led by skipper Sneh Rana in the 1st match of the tournament. Team C led by skipper Minnu Mani was up against Team D led by skipper Shafali Verma in the 2nd match of the tournament.
Uma Chetry and Pratika’s fifties in vain as Team A edge-past Team B
Team A skipper Harleen Deol won the toss and opted to bat first. A crucial 63-run 4th wicket partnership between Arundhati Reddy and wicket-keeper batter Richa Ghosh took them closer to the 140-run mark. Wicket-keeper batter Richa Ghosh (58 off 46 balls), skipper Harleen Deol (32 off 18 balls), and Arundhati Reddy (22* off 25 balls) played a crucial role with the bat for Team A. Renuka Singh (4-0-19-2), Nikita Singh (3-0-17-1), and Sonal Thakur (4-0-20-0) were the star performers with the ball for Team B.
Team B fell five runs short, chasing a target of 140, as they were restricted to 134/5 in their quota of 20 overs. The 73-run 2nd wicket partnership between wicket-keeper batter Uma Chetry and Pratika was the highest partnership of the run chase. Pratika (56 off 50 balls), and wicket-keeper batter Uma Chetry (54 off 37 balls), were the standout performers with the bat for Team B. Mita Paul (4-0-29-3), Arundhati Reddy (4-0-22-0), and Fatima Jaffer (4-0-23-0) were the pick of the bowlers for Team A.
All-rounder Minnu Mani guides Team C to a big victory against Team D
Team D posted a total of 122/9 in their quota of 20 overs after skipper Shafali Verma won the toss and opted to bat first. A much-needed 72-run 4th wicket partnership between Amrita Joseph and Humairaa Kaazi played an instrumental role in taking their side past the 100-run mark. Humairaa Kaazi (55 off 46 balls), Amrita Joseph (30 off 31 balls), and Tanuja Kanwer were the lone warriors with the bat for Team D.
Team C cruised through the target with seven wickets in hand and 18 balls to spare. Shweta Sehrawat (46 off 35 balls), skipper Minnu Mani (36* off 34 balls), and Tripti Singh (20 off 15 balls) were instrumental alongside skipper in the run chase to guide the side over the line. The 45-run 3rd wicket partnership between Shweta Sehrawat and skipper Minnu Mani was the highest partnership of the run chase.
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