If the first game of the 2025 Women’s Premier League (WPL) was a run-fest, the 2nd game of the tournament between Mumbai Indians led by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Delhi Capitals led by skipper Meg Lanning was an edge-of-the-seat, nail-biting last-ball blockbuster thriller, with a lot of drama especially towards the business end of the run chase, as the Capitals sealed the game by 2 wickets at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara.
Alana King and Kranti Goud make their WPL debut for the UP Warriorz
The 3rd edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) continues to unwrap and reward the journey’s filled with grit, passion, determination, and a never-say-die attitude for promising youngsters at the domestic level as well as from around the globe an opportunity and the platform to express themselves.
The 2nd game of the season has 3 debutants in Niki Prasad, Sarah Bryce, (Delhi Capitals) and Sanskriti Gupta (Mumbai Indians), while the 3rd game has a couple of debutants namely, Alana King and Kranti Goud for the UP Warriorz in Vadodara against the Gujarat Giants led by skipper Ashleigh Gardner, who retained the same side that took the field in the first game of the 3rd season of the tournament.
Priya Mishra gets the big scalps to restrict the Warriorz batting line-up
The Warriorz openers Kiran Navgire and Vrinda Dinesh got their side off to a flying start with a 22-run opening partnership, with the pair scoring at a rate of 11 runs an over. Skipper Ashleigh Gardner and Deandra Dottin removed both the openers in quick succession after an ominous stand.
The 51-run 3rd wicket stand between skipper Deepti Sharma (39 off 27 balls) and wicket-keeper batter Uma Chetry brought the Warriorz back into the contest. However, Deandra Dottin returned and broke the crucial stand by removing the wicket-keeper batter Uma Chetry (24 off 27 balls) in the 10th over of the innings to provide the 3rd breakthrough for the home side.
The Deepti Sharma-led side managed to score 70 runs in their last 10 overs of the innings as a result, they finished with a promising total of 143/9 in their quota of 20 overs. A vital 26-run partnership for the 9th wicket between Alana King (19* off 14 balls) and Saima Thakor (15* off 7 balls) took their side closer to the 150-run mark.
Priya Mishra (4-0-25-3), Kashvee Gautam (4-0-15-1), Deandra Dottin (4-0-34-2), and skipper Ashleigh Gardner (4-0-39-2) were the top performers with the ball for Gujarat Giants.
Gardner, Dottin, and Harleen Deol give the Giants a first victory
The home side suffered an early setback as Sophie Ecclestone and Grace Harris reduced the Giants to 2/2 in the 2nd over of the run chase of 144. Skipper Ashleigh Gardner joined hands alongside opening batter Laura Wolvaardt and the pair led the recovery with a much-needed 55-run partnership for the 3rd wicket. Sophie Ecclestone cleaned up Laura Wolvaardt (22 off 24 balls) to provide the crucial 3rd breakthrough for UPW.
Harleen Deol joined skipper Ashleigh Gardner at the crease and the duo took their side closer to the 100-run mark with another crucial 29-run partnership for the 4th wicket. Against the run of play, Tahlia McGrath deceived the Giants skipper Ashleigh Gardner with a slower delivery to send her back to the pavilion, providing a crucial breakthrough for her side. The Gujarat Giants skipper completed her 2nd consecutive half-century (52 off 32 balls) before getting dismissed.
Deandra Dottin (33* off 18 balls) joined Harleen Deol (34* off 30 balls) at the crease and the duo powered their side over the line with an unbeaten 58-run partnership for the 5th wicket to seal the game by six wickets in hand and two overs to spare. Sophie Ecclestone (4-0-16-2) and Grace Harris (1-0-1-1) were exceptional with the ball, while Tahlia McGrath (3-0-21-1) picked up the big wicket of the opposition skipper Ashleigh Gardner.
Skipper Ashleigh Gardner was awarded the Player of the Match for her sensational all-round contributions. She returned with match figures of 4-0-39-2 in her spell with the ball and led from the front with the bat, bailing her side out of trouble with another impressive half-century (52 off 32 balls) for her side, as the Gujarat Giants registered their first victory in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) on home soil in the 3rd edition of the tournament in 2025.
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