BENGALURU: Kiran Navgire and Grace Harris powered UP Warriorz to bag their first win of the ongoing Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 after they defeated Mumbai Indians by seven wickets at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
UP skipper Alyssa Healy (33 runs from 29 balls) and Kiran Navgire (57 runs from 31 balls) opened for the Warriorz and made a solid 94-run partnership.
The Healy-Navgire duo gave the UP-based franchise a fiery start while chasing a target of 162 runs. Healy smashed 5 fours with a strike rate of 113.79.
Meanwhile, Navgire slammed his fifty after playing just 25 balls. She smashed 6 fours and 4 sixes. However, the player’s knock had to come to an end after Amelia Kerr made the first breakthrough of the game after she dismissed Navgire in the 10th over.
Issy Wong scalped the second wicket of the inning after she dismissed Tahlia McGrath (1 run from 4 balls) in the 11th over. Wong’s spell helped Mumbai to make a comeback in the game after she removed skipper Healy in the 10th over.
Even though the Mumbai-based franchise picked up two quick wickets but still failed to take control of the game.
After losing three wickets, Grace Harris (38* runs from 17 balls) and Deepti Sharma (27* runs from 20 balls) took charge of the batting lineup as they chased the target without any difficulty.
Harris smashed 6 fours and 1 six with a strike rate of 223.53. Meanwhile, Deepti hit 4 fours.
On the other hand, Mumbai displayed a sloppy performance with their bowling attack. They failed to defend the 132-run target. Wong and Kerr were the only wicket-takers for the defending champions.
Earlier in the first inning, MI openers Yashtika Bhatia and Hayley Mathews came out to bat after UPW skipper Alyssa Healy won the toss and elected to bowl first.
Both batters played a partnership of 50 runs in which Yashtika contributed 26 runs and Mathews scored 24 runs. Yashtika was sent back to the pavilion and was dismissed by Grace Harris in the same over in the 8th over.
After Bhatia’s dismissal, skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt came to the crease. She built a partnership of 42 runs with Mathews before the skipper was dismissed through a run-out after scoring 19 runs in the 13th over.
Mathews completed her half-century but soon she was dismissed by Rajeshwari Gayakwad when Mumbai was at 105 runs. Her knock included 9 fours and a six.
Notable knocks from Amelia Kerr, Pooja Vastrakar, and Issy Wong took the defending champions to 161/6 after the end of 20 overs. Menawhile, for UPW, one wicket each was grabbed by Anjali Sarvani, Harris, Deepti Sharma, Gayakwad and Sophie Ecclestone in their respective spells of four overs.
Brief score: Mumbai Indians 161/6 (Hayley Matthews 55, Yastika Bhatia 26, Amelia Kerr 23; Sophie Ecclestone 1/25) vs UP Warriorz 163/3 (Kiran Navgire 57, Grace Harris 38*, Alyssa Healy 33; Issy Wong 2/30). (ANI)