WPL: UP Warriorz beat Mumbai Indians by seven wickets

Bengaluru, Feb 28 (IANS) UP Warriorz registered their first win of the season as they defeated Mumbai Indians by seven wickets in Match 6 of the WPL 2024 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, here on Wednesday. 

After opting to field first, a fine collective bowling performance saw UPW restrict MI to 161/6. Kiran Navgire then hit a power-packed 57 (31) to set the tone for the chase, along with captain Healy (33 off 29), as they added 94 for the opening wicket.

Grace Harris (38* off 17) and Deepti Sharma (27* off 20) then provided the finishing touches after a slight stutter to take UPW past the finish line with 21 balls to spare, reports WPL.

Chasing 162, UPW got off to a solid start as Kiran Navgire and Alyssa Healy took the aggressive route early. Navgire went after Issy Wong in the third over, cracking four fours to make it a 17-run over.

Healy smacked a couple of fours off Nat Sciver-Brunt to bring up the 50-run stand off just 30 balls. Navgire smashed a huge six off Saika Ishaque in the next over as UPW cruised to 61/0, the highest Powerplay score of the season so far.

The partnership grew from strength to strength as the batters continued to attack. MI had the opportunity to break the stand in the 8th over, but Issy Wong put down a tough chance at long off to give Navgire a reprieve when on 42. Navgire made them pay as she smacked a six next ball to bring up her fifty in style, off just 25 balls. In dire need of a wicket, Nat Sciver-Brunt brought Kerr back into the attack in the 10th over, and she struck straightaway, having the dangerous Navgire (57 off 31) stumped to break the 94-run stand.

One brought two, and then three, as Nat Sciver-Brunt's other bowling change worked wonders. She brought back Wong, and the MI all-rounder bounced back hard after being hit for 17 in her first over to dismiss Tahlia McGrath and the set Healy (33 off 29) in the same over.

Grace Harris and Deepti Sharma then got together, steadied the ship, brought some calm amid chaos, and played some cracking shots to take UPW past the finish line with an unbeaten 65 (36) run stand.

Earlier, UP Warriorz captain won the toss and elected to field. Nat Sciver-Brunt was leading Mumbai Indians in the absence of Harmanpreet Kaur, who missed out due to a niggle.

The UPW bowlers started off well, bowling tight lines and lengths and keeping the MI openers in check, conceding just 13 runs off the first four overs. Hayley Matthews survived an early scare as she was given caught behind in the fourth over when on 6, but she decided to review it, and the decision was overturned as there was no bat involved.

Yastika Bhatia finally upped the ante with some scintillating strokeplay as she hit three fours and a six off Anjali Sarvani as MI reached 36/0 at the end of the Powerplay. Matthews, too, found her groove as she cracked a four and a six off Rajeshwari Gayakwad. She, however, got lucky in the next over as Poonam Khemnar dropped a tough chance at deep cover off Harris, but the bowler got rewarded two balls later as she had Bhatia (26 off 22) caught at short mid-wicket.

Matthews got her momentum back, smacking three fours off Deepti Sharma as MI reached 71/1 at the halfway mark. Matthews got lucky again in the 12th over as she was dropped by Deepti Sharma on 43 off a tough chance. Just as the Matthews and Nat Sciver-Brunt partnership was gaining strength, a huge mix-up saw Sciver-Brunt (19 off 14) get run out. Matthews then brought up her half-century off 44 balls.

The MI opener, however, couldn't convert the start into a big one, as she holed out to long on off Gayakwad on 55. MI lost Matthews at an important stage. Amelia Kerr then breathed some energy with 23 off 16 as crucial little contributions from Pooja Vastrakar (18 off 12) and Issy Wong (15* off 6) took MI past 150 and helped them post 161/6. Earlier, Vrinda Dinesh had to go off the field after suffering an injury.

--IANS

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