GG-W vs UPW-W

That was more of a one sided contest after two relatively nerve wracking games. The Gujarat Giants have opened their account while the UP Warriorz have a few things to ponder on. The WPL carnival continues tomorrow. Do join us then and for many more sporting coverage from Sportskeeda but for now this is the pair of Arya Sekhar Chakraborty and Lavil Saldanha biding adieu. Goodnight! 

Ashleigh Gardner is the Player of the Match for her brilliant fifty which set the match up for the win, here is what she said: Yeah very pleased. We were that far off the other game. To get our first win at home is super special. I think there's always things to improve. Our bowlers were brilliant. Priya Mishra to get those two big wickets. With the bat I had a clean plan and the first innings helped me. The stumps hopefully, I feel I have missed a few in the first two games as far as hitting the stumps are concerned. If you any spinner who bowled well today attacked the stumps for longer time. It's about individual assessment. You see Dottin clear her front leg and smashing, then Harleen loves the ball coming into the bat. Then Beth Mooney sets the platform up the order. We have a great depth in the batting order which has helped us. 

Deandra Dottin (Gujarat Giants): (On the Kiran Navgire dismissal) To be honest, I remembered the Women's T20 Challenge final and executed it. I knew they were 30-odd runs short and that gave us the confidence to chase it down. I was looking to finish the game, never want to leave it late if all things go wrong. Pick the length and hit the ball. I was the missing piece for their WPL as a whole. I was watching the ball nicely and trying to be as consistent as possible. I don't think we were nervy, Ash was assessing the pitch and conditions closely looking to carry us as much ahead as possible.

Deepti Sharma (captain, UP Warriorz): The way the wicket was behaving, I believe had our batting unit stepped up and we had a few partnerships, we could have got to 170-180. Our bowling strength, Sophie, myself, everyone has done well despite dew affecting play. On some deliveries, we weren't able to execute our shots well. We'll look to improve it in the coming games

Gujarat Giants won by 6 wickets (with 12 deliveries to spare)

Ashleigh Gardner 52(32) | Priya Mishra 3/25(4)
Deepti Sharma 39(27) | Sophie Ecclestone 2/16(4)

It turned out to be a rather straightforward run chase in the end for the Gujarat Giants as they defeated the UP Warriorz by 6 idkeys and with 13 deliveries to spare. They were challenged on a few occasions during the chase but the pair of Harleen Deol and Deandra Dottin ensured that they chased down the target at a canter in the end. 

The target of 144 was always going to be an under-par score but when the Gujarat Giants lost Beth Mooney and Dayalan Hemalatha early, it looked like they could be in with a real chance. It was the partnership between Laura Wolvaardt and captain Ash Gardner which brought the Giants back on track. The duo struck some exceptional shots and made sure there were no hiccups till the 9th over. 

The partnership yielded 55 runs before Wolvaardt was castled by Sophie Ecclestone. Harleen Deol came in and steadied the ship with Gardner. While the GG captain was the aggressor in the stand, Deol took her time and stabilized things. Gardner took the attack to the opposition bowlers and smashed 5 fours and 3 sixes during her knock of 52 which came off 32 deliveries. 

When she was dismissed, the UP Warriorz had a massive chance to make a return to the game but Deandra Dottin and Harleen Deol ensured that they bat sensibly. Dottin was looking for the big shots and struck three fours and two sizes during her belligerent knock of 33 off 18 deliveries. Harleen played a supportive role and remained unbeaten on 34 off 30 deliveries.

17.6 Deepti Sharma to Harleen Deol, ONE RUN! GUJARAT GIANTS WIN! Short from Deepti, Deol pulls it towards square leg where a misfield allows the pair to scamper across for a quick single to end the over and the chase as well. Gujarat Giants win by 6 wickets and register their first win of the season

17.4 Deepti Sharma to Harleen Deol, FOUR! Full and outside the off stump, Deol comes down the track and caresses that one through extra cover. The outfield is quick and the ball races away to the fence for a boundary

17.2 Deepti Sharma to Deandra Dottin, SIX! Full and on the off stump, Dottin skips down the track and hits that one comfortably over the fence at long off for a maximum

16.5 Kranti Goud to Deandra Dottin, UP IN THE AIR! AND DROPPED! Full and on the fourth stump, Dottin looked to go big but gets a thickish top edge. The ball goes high up in the air and Deepti Sharma shells the catch

16.4 Kranti Goud to Deandra Dottin, FOUR! Full and on the off stump, Dottin opens up her frontfoot and hits that one straight down the ground, one bounce and over the fence for a boundary