Bengaluru: UP Warriorz completed a six-wicket win over Gujarat Giants at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday, handing Beth Mooney’s team their third straight defeat in the WPL.
After opting to chase, UPW’s five-pronged spin attack functioned brilliantly to restrict Gujarat to 142/5.
Alyssa Healy’s early onslaught and clean ball-striking by Grace Harris (60 n.o.) helped the Warriorz achieve the target in 15.4 overs.
Earlier, in the first innings, Laura Wolvaardt flayed Anjali Sarvani for three consecutive boundaries through cover-point in the second over.
Grace shelled a return catch off Wolvaardt, but UPW did not have to wait long for a breakthrough as Sophie Ecclestone (3/20) had Mooney caught at mid-on.
UPW’s spinners were miserly throughout, and after 18 balls without a boundary, Wolvaardt failed to clear Chamari Athapaththu at mid-off as Sophie struckagain.
Phoebe Litchfield (35) finished Chamari’s 11th over with two boundaries and brought out the reverse sweep against Rajeshwari Gayakwad. The Karnataka tweaker recovered to end Harleen Deol’s scratchy innings.
Phoebe was handed a life by Deepti Sharma, who dropped a simple catch off the Australian’s attempted reverse sweep.
Ashleigh Gardner (30) peppered the leg-side boundary and Phoebe brought up the 50-run partnership between the two Aussies with a cracking maximum. Deepti’s 18th over went for 19 runs, but the momentum tilted UPW’s way with two bits of excellence on the field.