Harris, Ecclestone lead Warriorz to WPL win over Giants

Grace Harris and Sophie Ecclestone helped the UP Warriorz power to a comfortable six wicket win over the Gujarat Giants in their Women’s Premier League clash at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday night.

After the Warriorz won the toss and chose to field, the Giants could only post a below par 142/5 in their 20 overs, with Ecclestone spinning a web on her way to top figures of 3/20, although the score could have been less if the Warriorz fielders held onto some easy catches.

Harris then led the way with the bat, crashing nine fours and two sixes on her way to an unbeaten 60 off just 33 balls to take her side over the line with 26-balls to spare.

The Warriorz chase got off to a flying start thanks largely to Alyssa Healy, 33 off 21 (7x4), who took on the infield a number of times, hitting the ball over the circle for boundaries.

However both openers fell in the powerplay, Kiran Navgire (12) top edging Tanuja Kanwar to Dayalan Hemalatha at short third, followed by Healy clean bowled by Kathryn Bryce, leaving them on 59/2 after six overs.

This brought Harris in to join Chamari Athapaththu (17) and they shared in a 36-run stand for the fourth wicket, before two quick wickets set the Warriorz back.

Athapaththu scooped Kanwar straight to Laura Wolvaardt at backward square leg, while Shweta Sehrawat (2) was clean bowled by Meghna Singh, leaving the Warriorz in a spot of bother on 90/4 after 11 overs.

However Harris then took charge of an unbeaten 53-run partnership with Deepti Sharma (17no) to smash herself to an entertaining half century and guide her side to an easy win in the end.

In the Giants innings the top three all got starts but not at a quick enough run rate, as opener Wolvaardt scored 28 off 26, Beth Mooney hit a run-a-ball 16 and Harleen Deol scored 18 off 24.

Mooney was first to fall, chipping an easy catch to Harris at mid-off off Ecclestone in the sixth over which left them on 41/1 at the end of the powerplay.

Wolvaardt followed in the 10th over, coming down the wicket at Ecclestone and trying to hit her over the infield, only to send an easy catch straight to Athapaththu at mid-off, which left them on 62/2 at the halfway point.

Deol, who had only hit one boundary in her innings, then fell to the pressure as she charged at Rajeshwari Gayakwad, only to top edge to Anjali Sarvani at short third to leave her side on 83/3 at the end of the 13th over.

Australian teammates Phoebe Litchfield, 35 off 26 (4x4, 1x6) and Ashleigh Gardner, 30 off 17 (4x4, 1x6) then combined for a positive 52-run fourth wicket partnership off 31 balls to make sure their side had something to defend.

However both fell in Ecclestone’s 19th over, Gardner caught fantastically by Athapaththu running backwards and taking the catch over her shoulder, while Litchfield was run out two balls later, meaning they couldn’t capitalise over the final few balls of the innings.

UP WARRIORZ: Alyssa Healy (capt & wk), Chamari Athapaththu, Kiran Navgire, Grace Harris, Shweta Sehrawat, Poonam Khemnar, Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Saima Thakor, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Anjali Sarvani

GUJARAT GIANTS: Beth Mooney (capt & wk), Laura Wolvaardt, Harleen Deol, Phoebe Litchfield, Dayalan Hemalatha, Ashleigh Gardner, Kathryn Bryce, Sneh Rana, Tanuja Kanwar, Meghna Singh, Mannat Kashyap