Gujarat Giants, under the leadership of Ashleigh Gardner, were up against UP Warriorz led by the new skipper Meg Lanning in the first game of the double header Saturday in the 4th edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) at the DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai.
Meg Lanning, taking charge at the helm for UP Warriorz, won the toss and opted to field first. A new look Giants top-order featuring Sophie Devine (38 off 20 balls) got off to a strong start. The young 22-year-old debutant Anushka Sharma (44 off 30 balls) was impressive on her WPL debut, laying a solid foundation for a strong finish. Skipper Ashleigh Gardner led from the front with a half-century, 65 (41 balls), Georgia Wareham and Bharti Fulmali provided the finishing touches. The Giants posted their highest WPL total, 207/4, in their quota of overs.
The former Giants top-order batter Phoebe Litchfield led the charge, smashing her maiden WPL half-century donning the UP Warriorz kit against her former side. Late fireworks from Shweta Sehrawat (25 off 17 balls) and Asha Sobhana (27* off 10 balls) took the Warriorz in touching distance of a record run chase, eventually falling just 10 runs short of the target as another clash featuring Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz went to the wire.
Match Highlights: Gujarat Giants vs UP Warriorz
Ashleigh Gardner
Gujarat Giants skipper yet again delivered a statement performance with the bat for her side in their WPL campaign opener. She stepped to the crease inside the powerplay on the departure of Sophie Devine, with the Giants at 55/2. She initially played 2nd fiddle to the young debutant Anushka Sharma before switching gears towards the backend. She scored a brilliant half-century, 65 (41 balls), playing a crucial role in guiding her side past the 200-run mark and eventually their highest total in WPL history for the Giants. Her knock included 6 boundaries and 3 maximums. With the ball, she was on the expensive side (3-0-37-1) courtesy of a Phoebe Litchfield masterclass. She eventually managed to pick up the crucial wicket of Deandra Dottin in her spell.
Georgia Wareham
The 26-year-old dynamic all-rounder returned to Gujarat Giants after the inaugural season. She was a part of Royal Challengers Bengaluru for the last couple of seasons, being the joint leading wicket-taker for RCB with 19 wickets alongside Shreyanka Patil during her time with the franchise. She had a blockbuster return to Giant’s Orange army. Coming in at number 5, Wareham displayed her batting prowess 27* (10 balls), including one boundary and 3 maximums, scoring at a humongous strike rate of 270. Her cameo played a crucial role in providing the finishing touches, pushing the total past the 200-run mark.
She backed it up with a stand-out performance with the ball, 4-0-30-2, in her spell, getting the big scalps of Meg Lanning (30 off 27 balls) and Harleen Deol (0 off 2 balls) in the 2nd over of the spell. The Giants eventually got over the line, and Georgia Wareham was awarded the Player of the Match for her all-round impact in a tightly contested game.
Phoebe Litchfield
The top-order dynamite Phoebe Litchfield put on a show representing UP Warriorz against her former franchise. She came in at number 3 for the Warriorz in their bid for a record run chase after her side got off to a quiet start. She unleashed her trademark unorthodox shots to get her innings going. She grew in confidence as the innings grew deeper, and she went on to register her maiden WPL half-century (78 off 40 balls). An outstanding catch from Bharti Fulmali ended Litchfield’s stay at the crease in the 16th over of the innings. She was the lone warrior for her side alongside the likes of Shweta Sehrawat (25 off 17 balls) and Asha Sobhana (27* off 10 balls). The Warriorz eventually fell 10 runs short of the target.
Sophie Ecclestone
The left-arm spinner continued her impressive journey with UP Warriorz after being brought back by the franchise via an RTM at the mega auctions. She delivered breakthroughs at crucial intervals for skipper Meg Lanning, bagging the scalps of wicket-keeper batter Beth Mooney and skipper Ashleigh Gardner, applying the breaks to the scoring rate. She returned with impressive match figures of 4-0-32-2 in her spell. She also chipped in 11 (8 balls) with the bat for her side, lower down the order.
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