4 months ago
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On the backmost of an unbeaten half-century by Sophie Devine (50 n.o., 42b, 2x4, 3x6) and a precise show by its bowling unit, Gujarat Giants successfully defended a full of 153 for 8 against UP Warriorz successful the Women’s Premier League connected Thursday (January 22, 2026). On a sluggish portion astatine the Kotambi Stadium, Giants’ 45-run triumph was utterly convincing. Left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad, with figures of 4-0-16-3, enjoyed maximum occurrence with the shot for the hosts.
Without Devine’s knock, of course, Giants wouldn’t person been successful the contention successful the 2nd fractional of the game.
The 36-year-old New Zealander, who besides took 2 wickets, made the astir of a mates of reprieves aft walking successful astatine No. 5. She stayed done to the end, and capitalised by clearing the bound doubly successful Shikha Pandey’s 16-run last over.
Warriorz needed 1 of its top-six batters to amusement akin application. That wasn’t to beryllium arsenic the visitors collapsed to 79 for six successful 12.1 overs. Kiran Navgire and Meg Lanning fell wrong the PowerPlay. In the eighth over, Phoebe Litchfield was besides dismissed, her signature reverse-sweep — truthful often a productive enactment — disconnected Ashleigh Gardner carrying to Renuka Singh astatine abbreviated third. With Harleen Deol hitting Renuka to Gardner astatine long-on conscionable six balls later, the penning was connected the wall.
Rajeshwari ran done Warriorz’s little middle-order.
Giants, too, had their struggles with the bat. In the PowerPlay, Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Anushka Sharma were undone by Kranti Gaud.
With boundaries hard to travel by successful the mediate phase, Gardner tried to spell aft Deepti Sharma successful the 10th over. Her effort was successful vain, playing each astir a tossed-up transportation by the offie to autumn for 5 disconnected 12 deliveries.
For Giants to inactive equine a competitory total, the work hinged connected Devine. After 3 dot balls, the seasoned slog-swept Deepti for a six implicit midwicket to get disconnected the mark.
It was a wide denotation of the benignant of way connected connection that Devine, too, slowed down aft that maximum. But it was a testament to her acquisition that she didn’t succumb to the pressure.
