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GG vs UPW | Gardner, Wareham, and Renuka shine as Gujarat Giants beat UP Warriorz by 10 runs

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ByVenkateswaran N, SportsCafe Editor

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Gujarat Giants beat UP Warriorz by 10 runs in their opening game of the Women’s Premier League in Navi Mumbai on Saturday. Ashleigh Gardner shone with the bat with a sublime half-century, while Georgia Wareham chipped in with an all-round performance to take the side home in a high-scoring duel.

‌Gujarat Giants started their Women’s Premier League campaign on a positive note with a 10-run win over UP Warriorz in Navi Mumbai on Saturday. Skipper Ashleigh Gardner led from the front with a valuable half-century, while Georgia Wareham pushed the side past the 200-mark with a wonderful cameo before returning to pick up two wickets with the ball in a high-scoring contest.

After being put into bat at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, the Giants were well-served by Sophie Devine’s early aggression, with the Kiwi batter scoring a four and a six in the second over from Shikha Pandey. She then repeated the feat to welcome off-spinner Deepti Sharma into the attack as the side raced to 40/0 in the first four overs. With Meg Lanning introducing spin from the other end too, Sophie Ecclestone struck instantly to castle Beth Mooney. In the very next over, Devine (38) also departed after a couple of boundaries off Shikha Pandey as the Giants found themselves at 56/2 at the end of the powerplay. But skipper Gardner, in the company of young Anushka Sharma, took the Gujarat-based outfit to a position of strength with their century partnership. The pair added 103 runs in just 63 balls to take the side past the 150-run mark in the 15th over. Incidentally, Gardner also completed a 30-ball half-century in the same over, getting to the milestone in style with a boundary off Ecclestone. But the well-set pair departed in back-to-back overs as the Warriorz tried to find some consolation in their bowling effort. Anushka was the first to leave for a 30-ball 44, which included seven boundaries, while the skipper followed suit after hitting three sixes and six fours during her innings of 65 off 41 balls. However, Wareham (27) and Bharti Fulmali (14) took the side to a formidable 207/4 with their entertaining cameos in the fag end. The pair had five sixes between them in the last two overs, adding 34 runs in quick time as Ecclestone finished as the pick among the Warriorz’ bowlers with figures of 2/32 in four overs.

The Warriorz’s chase started on a bad note with Renuka Singh cleaning up opener Kiran Navgire in the first over. But the Australian duo of captain Meg Lanning and Phoebe Litchfield joined hands to rescue the side with a 70-run stand for the second wicket. The veteran batter hit consecutive boundaries in the fourth and fifth over while Litchfield was severe on her Aussie teammate Gardner. The southpaw smashed a four and a six in the last two balls of the powerplay to take the side to 46/1 before taking on Devine with two fours and a six in a 19-run eighth over. Though Lanning looked set for a big one, Wareham priced her out, trapping the former Aussie skipper plumb in front with a beauty in the next over. The leggie also dismissed Harleen Deol in the same over before Renuka struck in the next to send back Deepti as the batting side slid from 73/1 to 74/4. However, Litchfield and new batter Shweta Sehrawat kept them in the chase, tonking 19 runs off the Giants’ skipper to take the side past 100 in the 11th over. And Litchfield also brought up her fifty in 24 balls, in the same over, with back-to-back boundaries in the first two balls. The pair added 69 runs but departed in the space of three balls as the Warriorz fell short in the big chase. Sehrawat departed for 25 off 17 balls, after hitting three sixes and a four, while Litchfield’s valiant knock of 78 came in 40 balls and included five sixes and eight boundaries. Though leg-spinner Asha Shobana thrilled the evening crowd with a flurry of boundaries in her 10-ball 27, the UP-based side could make only 197/8 as Renuka and Wareham finished with figures of 2/25 and 2/30 in their respective four-over spells.

GG Won!

Need 30 more!

Gone!

Superb catch!

Outstanding !

Not today!

Well played!

Well played!

GG won!

Wicket!

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read previousWPL | Twitter impressed as Mumbai Indians outplay Delhi Capitals in clinical display
Mumbai Indians beat Delhi Capitals by 50 runs in the WPL in Navi Mumbai on Saturday. Harmanpreet Kaur and Nat Sciver-Brunt scored belligerent half-centuries to power the Women in Blue to a dominant 195/4 before Nicola Carey and the England skipper restricted the visitors for their win this season.
WPL | Twitter pumped up as Ecclestone gets sweet revenge over Gardner after being smashed for boundaryread next
It is always a great feeling to get a batter out after being hit for a boundary, and Sophie Ecclestone experienced that during the WPL match against Gujarat Giants. The UP Warriorz bowler got the better of GG skipper Ashleigh Gardner in the very next ball after being hit for a cheeky boundary.

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