NEW DELHI: UP Warriorz turned the tides around in a nerve-rattling game to blow the race for playoff wide open following their one-run win over Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Friday.
Warriorz hanging with the tiniest thread of hope, defied the odds and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat leaving DC desolate.
UP managed to defend the lowest total in the history of the WPL, neutralising skipper Meg Lanning’s heroic 60(46).
Apart from Lanning, no other player could string up meaning full score while chasing a sub-par total of 139.
After starring with the bat, Deepti Sharma picked up a four-wicket haul which included the wicket of Lanning.
Pacer Saima Thakor provided the ideal backup by dismissing in-form batters which included Shafali Verma (15) and Jemimah Rodrigues (17).
DC still had hopes of clinching victory with 10 runs needed in the final over. Radha Yadav struck a six on the first ball which tipped the balance in favour of DC.
But Grace Harris who didn’t bowl a single over in the game, struck back and picked up two wickets and a run out in the next four balls to clinch a famous one-run win for UPW.
Earlier in the innings, after UP Warriorz won the toss and opted to bat, Delhi players managed to restrict the opposition to a below-par score.
Opener Kiran Navgire (5) once again failed to make a mark and fell cheaply in the powerplay. Despite suffering an early loss UP managed to accumulate 44 runs in the powerplay.
Deepti Sharma who was promoted to the number three spot, struggled to adjust to her new role in the early phase of her innings.
With the constantly falling run rate, skipper Alyssa Healy (29) tried to go after Capsey to pick up a couple of boundaries but her move backfired.
Arundhati Reddy removed Tahlia McGrath (3) with a delightful delivery in the very next over and the Warriorz were 63/3 after 10 overs.
Deepti took the onus of scoring runs and eventually found her groove but she hardly found any support from the other end. A valiant 59 from Deepti guided UP to a total of 138/8.
Brief Score: UPW 138/8 (Deepti Sharma 59, Alyssa Healy 29; Radha Yadav 2/16) vs DC 137 (Meg Lanning 60; Deepti Sharma 4-19, Grace Harris 2/8). (ANI)