The Gujarat Giants’ first-ever win in their sixth league season was made possible by the second-highest partnership in the WPL (140 off 78), which included Beth Mooney (85 not out off 51) and Laura Wolvaardt (76 off 45). At the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday, March 6, the Giants amassed a strong 199/5, this season’s highest total, and Royal Challengers Bangalore lost the match by 19 runs despite a valiant effort by Georgia Wareham in the last over.
An unprecedented beginning for the Giants
Gujarat Giants have batted first and finished with pitiful totals in three of their first four WPL 2024 games. The Giants’ performance in the opening ten overs, which saw them score just 58/4 against MI, 44/2 against RCB, and 62/2 against UPW, was a major factor. They had to take an unusual action to give their campaign momentum because they were at a loss for ideas. And it occurred in the Delhi game vs the Royals. During the first stand between Wolvaardt and Mooney, the Giants scored 59 runs in the first six overs as Wolvaardt took the aggressive role.
The Giants reached 104/0 at the conclusion of ten overs thanks to a barrage of boundaries struck by Mooney and Wolvaardt, including three consecutive boundaries off Ellyse Perry. Perry reached a fifty off 32 balls.
No break for RCB
Wolvaardt and Mooney spared none of the RCB bowlers, and the captain reached her fifty, too, off only 32 balls, as the boundary carnage continued. Wolvaardt’s stay ended with a run-out off the last delivery of the 13th over, proving that only a run out could separate the two. RCB was attempting to maintain silence as they went from 134 in 12 overs to 155 in 15. The silence, however, was short lived as Mooney hit his first six of the day—over cow corner off Sophie Devine in the 16th over—and then followed it up with a boundary. After Mooney hit her 11th four off Ekta Bisht in the 17th over, RCB lost reviews from subsequent deliveries.
After getting off to a poor start, Phoebe Litchfield hit her first four off Renuka Thakur, and Mooney was out of the game within the same over.
192/1 to 199/5: What was the process?
Litchfield hit a single to start the 19th over, then Mooney hit a boundary. However, Litchfield was run out halfway through the over after her captain called for a nonexistent single, and Ash Gardner departed for a first-ball duck after slicing a catch to long-off. Dayalan Hemalatha was dismissed by Sophie Molineux with the first ball of the last over, while Veda Krishnamurthy was eventually the third player to be run out of the innings. Towards the close of the first innings, RCB controlled some damage to keep the Giants under 200. Only 12 came off the last two overs, with four wickets falling.
How did RCB come to be?
Only seven runs were scored in the opening two overs, but Smriti Mandhana got things going with two sixes and a four off consecutive deliveries from Tanuja Kanwar. She promised the same type of pyrotechnics that had lighted up Chinnaswamy Stadium a few days before when she followed it up with a boundary off Kathryn Bryce. But she pretended to be dishonest. With only 39 on the board, RCB stopped the powerplay. She attempted to pull a Gardner delivery that came in with the arm, but missed and was stranded in front. She brought a review back with her as she left for a 16-ball 24.
Wickets keep falling.
This time, the chasing team was hit by the run-out pandemic when S Meghana, who had scored four out of thirteen, failed to reach the crease and headed for the dug out. Devine, who has struggled to score runs this season, got into gear and hammered two sixes and a four before Kanwar bowled her for 23 off of 16. Richa Ghosh got off to a strong start, but Perry gave a catch to the custodian who was trying to reverse sweep Bryce. In an over, Ghosh hit three fours off rookie Shabnam Shakil, but Gardner misplayed and terminated her stay, leaving RCB at 129/5 and requiring 71 off 24.
Was RCB even close?
No. Georgia Wareham attempted to maintain her side’s lead by setting consistent boundaries and hitting Kanwar with a six. She faced Meghna Singh with 49 required off 12, striking a six off the opening ball of the penultimate over and a four off a no-ball. However, Molineux was run out in the same over after giving up her wicket as Wareham attempted an uncalled second run. The game was virtually lost from RCB’s hands as they required 33 in the last over and missed the mark by 20. Wareham herself was run out off the final ball of the over, leaving for a solid 48 off 22.
Brief scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore 180/8 in 20 overs (Georgia Wareham 48, Richa Ghosh 30; Ashleigh Gardner 2-23) lost to Gujarat Giants 199/5 in 20 overs (Beth Mooney 85*, Laura Wolvaardt 76; Sophie Molineux 1-32) by 19 runs.
