Beth Mooney played a crucial innings, scoring an unbeaten 74 runs, helping Gujarat Giants (GG) set a challenging total. Despite Deepti Sharma’s impressive 88* off 60 balls for UP Warriorz, they fell short by 8 runs in their final Women’s Premier League 2024 round-robin match on Monday.
At 35/5 while chasing a target of 154, UP Warriorz seemed almost defeated in their final game. However, a remarkable late surge from Deepti Sharma (88* off 60 balls) and Poonam Khemnar (36*) nearly took them to victory, but they ultimately lost by eight runs.
With this win, Gujarat Giants still have a chance of qualifying for the playoffs if Royal Challengers Bangalore lose to Mumbai Indians on Tuesday, and GG beats Delhi Capitals by a significant margin on Wednesday. Despite the loss, Warriorz are not completely out of contention.
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GG’s openers Laura Wolvaardt and Beth Mooney, who had performed well in their previous victory, once again played crucial roles. Wolvaardt scored a quick 43 off 30 balls, setting up a 60-run opening partnership, while captain Mooney’s unbeaten 74 off 52 balls guided GG to a competitive total of 152/8. Although no other batter contributed significantly, the duo’s partnership proved vital.
Despite the Warriors’ bowler Sophie Ecclestone’s impressive 3/38, Deepti Sharma (2/22), Rajeshwari Gayakwad (1/28), and Chamari Athapaththu (1/25) kept the run rate under control after GG opted to bat.
In response, Shabnam Shakil stood out for GG, taking three important wickets, while Kathryn Bryce (1/26) and Ashleigh Gardner (1/30) also contributed to restricting Warriorz. Although Warriorz struggled at the start, Deepti and Pooja (36* off 36 balls) initiated a remarkable fightback, forming an unbeaten 109-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Despite Deepti’s third successive half-century and Pooja’s solid support, their efforts weren’t enough to secure victory for Warriorz.