In the aftermath of Gujarat Giants’ emphatic 45-run victory over UP Warriorz in Match 14 of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 at Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara, head coach Michael Klinger radiated pride and tactical clarity.
The win snapped a three-match losing streak for Ashleigh Gardner’s side, propelling them from the bottom of the table to second place with six points from six games (three wins, three losses). Sophie Devine’s all-round brilliance and Rajeshwari Gayakwad match-winning 3/16 were pivotal in bundling UP Warriorz out for 108 while defending 153/8, keeping the Giants’ playoff hopes firmly in their grasp.
Klinger lauded the pitch conditions that favoured a competitive contest, noting how the black soil surface played truer than in prior games here. “I thought the wicket played the best out of the three games so far. I thought it came on. The black soil doesn’t bounce as much, but it came onto the bat quite nicely today,” he said.
He admitted the Giants fell short with the bat, estimating they were 20 runs short on a par score of 170-180, due to a few mid-innings errors, but credited their bowling and fielding for turning the tide. Despite Sophie Devine’s fighting unbeaten 50 off 42 (her second half-century this season and fourth in WPL history), early blows like Danielle Wyatt-Hodge’s brisk 14 off 8 limited their total, with Beth Mooney’s 38 off 34 providing stability.
Sophie Devine, now Gujarat Giants’ leading run-scorer with 199 runs at a strike rate of 160.48 (sixth overall in WPL 2026), shifted to No. 5 due to Wyatt-Hodge’s inclusion and delivered across the different phases of the game Her 3.3-0-16-2 cleaned up UP Warriorz’s tail, including Sophie Ecclestone and Kranti Gaud, while snagging the Purple Cap with 11 wickets at 16.09 average.
Klinger praised her redemption arc after miscommunication in the batting innings. “She set it up really nicely and then obviously got that drop catch, but she made up for it to a great extent at the end there with some really good hitting,” he reflected, highlighting her tactical nous against Shikha Pandey and a crucial run-out.
The coach also addressed her batting shuffle, emphasising team-first mentality. “She’s a professional. She’s very much a team player, and if we threw her up to open the next game, she’d say that’s fine as well,” Klinger noted, hinting at potential tweaks ahead of Delhi after Devine’s prior 95 off 42 against them earlier this season, which Gujarat Giants ended up winning by 4 runs as she successfully defended 7 runs in the final over of that game.
A standout tactical move was benching Tanuja Kanwer, Gujarat Giants’ second-highest WPL wicket-taker with 23 scalps, for Rajeshwari Gayakwad, who earned Player of the Match with her middle-overs mastery. Renuka Singh’s dream start (2/20, including Kiran Navgire’s run out via Beth Mooney’s deflection) and Gayakwad’s strikes on Deepti Sharma, Shweta Sehrawat, and Asha Sobhana dismantled UP Warriorz, with Gardner (1/23) claiming Phoebe Litchfield.
Klinger defended the “really tough call,” praising Gayakwad’s powerplay potential and execution in the middle overs. “Three for 16, that unbelievable effort. Match winning spell that was. So yeah, I’m really happy for her,” he beamed, noting her training graft.
UP Warriorz crumbled despite Chloe Tryon’s gritty 30* off 22 and Kranti Gaud’s earlier 2/18, their second-lowest WPL total, leaving playoffs dependent on others.
Klinger remained pragmatic on dew, “It’s wet definitely when fielding, but the bowlers seem to be able to get a good grip on it”, and Vadodara’s toss dynamics, urging better pitch rotation. “The more wickets they have here prepared, the better for the rest of the competition.” With the tournament running until February 5, this clinical display positions the Giants strongly back in contention for a spot in the knockout stages.
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