Supernovas restrict Velocity to 121 for 6 in Women's T20 Challenge final

Supernovas produced a clinical bowling display to restrict Velocity to 121 for 6 in the summit clash of the Women's T20 Challenge here on Saturday.

Sent into bat, Velocity suffered a batting collapse as they were reduced to 37 for 5 in the eighth over before Amelia Kerr (36) and Sushma Verma (40 not out) stitched 71 runs in 10.5 overs for the sixth wicket to take their side to a respectable total.

But for the superb late fightback by Kerr and Verma, Velocity would not have even crossed the 100-run mark.

Wicketkeeper batswoman Verma top-scored for Velocity with a 32-ball 40 not out which was lashed with three fours and a six.

Kerr, who holds the record of scoring highest individual runs (232 not out) in ODIs, hit 36 off 38 deliveries which had four boundaries in it.

Velocity made a disastrous start, losing a wicket each in the first three overs to be reduced to 14 for 3.

New Zealand pacewoman Lea Tahuhu swung the second ball of the innings away from Hayley Mathews who edged it to the keeper for a duck. Danielle Wyatt (0) went for a pre-meditated shot in the next over bowled by Anuja Patil but failed to connect with the ball due to a late drift and was stumped.

Shafali Verma (0) hit the first four of the innings in the third over bowled by Tuhuhu who, however, had the last laugh by dismissing the batswoman the next delivery with Anuja Patil taking the catch.

A brief period of recovery intervened with captain Mithali Raj (12) and Veda Krishnamurthy (8) stitching a 23-run partnership for the fourth wicket before both the batswomen fell in a heap in the space of four deliveries without addition of any run.

It left the Velocity innings in a mess at 73 for 5 in the eighth over before Kerr and Verma rescued their side with a superb partnership.

For Supernovas, Tuhuhu took two wickets for 21 runs while Patil, Devine and Poonam Yadav grabbed a wicket each.