GG-W vs UPW-W | Twitter impressed as Devine and Gayakwad get Gujarat Giants back to winning ways

As the Warriorz skipper Meg Lanning put the Giants in at the Kotambi Stadium, Danni Wyatt-Hodge got off the mark for her new franchise with consecutive boundaries against Kranti Gaud in the opening over. Her partner Beth Mooney, who is yet to set the WPL stage on fire, also got going with a four off Shikha Pandey to help the home side to a brisk start. However, Kranti bounced back in her next over to go past Wyatt-Hodge’s defence before ending Anushka Sharma’s boundary-laden cameo in her third. Despite losing two batters, the home side finished the six-over powerplay with 52 runs on the board. But Lanning was clever to tighten things up bringing on spin from both ends just after Kranti completed her four-over spell and the fields also spread. The left-arm spin duo of Sophie Ecclestone and Chloe Tryon along with Deepti Sharma and Asha Sobhana tightened things up. The quartet gave away just 57 runs in the next nine overs to bring the visitors right back into the contest. With Deepti pricing out a struggling Ashleigh Gardner, Ecclestone accounting for Mooney (38) and Bharti Fulmali finding herself on the wrong side off a horrendous brainfade from Sophie Devine, the Kiwi all-rounder was left to do the heavy lifting alone. She smashed three sixes, two of which came in the final over, and two fours and completed her fifty in the last ball of the innings. Meanwhile, Kranti finished as the pick among the visitors’ bowlers with a spell of 2/18 in four overs with Ecclestone picking up 2/22 in her four-over spell.

The chase did not start as expected as the Warriorz lost Kiran Navgire, whose woeful form continued, for a first-ball duck. However, captain Lanning and her young partner Phoebe Litchfield consolidated the the chase with a 37-run stand for the second wicket in 27 balls. The southpaw started aggressively with a four against Renuka Singh off her second ball before the duo settled in finding the odd boundaries. But against the run of play, Lanning was bowled after an unfortunate ricochet off her thigh guard in the penultimate ball of the fifth over. Though Litchfield hit a couple of boundaries, a rush of blood cost the southpaw her wicket as she persihed trying to emulate the reverse sweep that fetched her a boundary in the first ball of the same Gardner over. From then on, the side went on a freefall, slipping from 57/3 to 97/9 in a matter of over eight overs. Though Tryon tried to delay proceeding with a fighting unbeaten 22-ball 30 ,the result was a foregone conclusion as the visitors were skittled out for 108 with 15 balls to spare. In fact, Litchfield finished as their top run-getter with five fours in her 27-ball 32, while Devine played her part with the ball to end with two wickets alongside Renuka.

A very good win for GG! They got themselves into a position to get a score thanks to a Devine fifty.



Then, some absurb luck to get the openers but post that, a top display of using the conditions and UP found it hard to adjust to the venue.



Now to see how they respond. #WPL

— Nikhil 🏏 (@CricCrazyNIKS) January 22, 2026

Next year

Mumma wants to watch Anupama. I started WPL, ashleigh gardner on screen"



She said "Enu sadi jahi angrejni dekhan kyi meri anupama band kraati"



😭😭😭😭

— Abhi.- UR (@abhijeet_sng) January 22, 2026

Let's see

WPL is relevant only because of RCB

— R (@reeyalistic_) January 22, 2026

Unbelievable

Even in a bowling pitch , Shikha Pandey gave away 53 runs shouldn’t be in WPL in coming seasons . Zero impact .

— Prajin (@wcriccrazeprajn) January 22, 2026