WPL 2024: Beth Mooney's heroics keep Gujarat Giants playoffs hopes alive

WPL 2024 playoffs' race: With the defeat, UP Warriorz are all but out of the playoffs race. RCB just need a win while both UP and Gujarat want Smriti Mandhana's side to face a defeat by a big margin.

Beth Mooney's last-over heroics overshadowed Deepti Sharma's innings as Gujarat Giants beat UP Warriorz by 8 runs at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday. Sophie Ecclestone would be ruing her last over, in which 21 runs were conceded, performance against Monney in the first innings as that decided the winner in the last.

Chasing a 153-run target, UP Warriorz were off to the worst possible start. Captain Alyssa Healy went back to the pavilion in the first over with just 4 runs on the board. Kiran Navgire, Chamari Athapaththu and Grace Harris followed the skipper to the dugout in quick succession as UP were reduced to 16-4 inside 4 overs. Deepti Sharma and Shweta Sehrawat put semblance to the Warriroz innings, taking the team 30 without losing any wicket at the end of the powerplay. But after the Sehrawat's dismissal 7th over felt as if UP were heading for a big defeat.

It all came down to little moments in the end - the 18th over by Meghna Singh who conceded just three was one and then in the last over, after hitting a six, Deepti decided to take the run when she was better off being on strike. 

However, Deepti and Poonam Khemnar had some other plans. The unbeaten stand between Deepti and Poonam took UP very close to the victory but in the end they fell short by 8 runs.

With the defeat, UP Warriorz are all but out of the playoffs race. RCB just need a win while both UP and Gujarat want Smriti Mandhana's side to face a defeat by a big margin.

UP Warriorz Women (T: 153 runs from 20 ovs)
BATTING	Dismissals	R	B	M	4s	6s	SR
Alyssa Healy (c)†	c Kashyap b Shabnam	4	3	2	1	0	133.33
Kiran Navgire	c Kashyap b Bryce	0	2	7	0	0	0
Chamari Athapaththu	c Gardner b Shabnam	0	3	2	0	0	0
Deepti Sharma	not out	88	60	78	9	4	146.66
Grace Harris	c Fulmali b Gardner	1	7	10	0	0	14.28
Shweta Sehrawat	b Shabnam	8	9	15	2	0	88.88
Poonam Khemnar	not out	36	36	50	3	1	100
Extras	(b 5, w 2)	7
TOTAL	20 Ov (RR: 7.20)	144/5
BOWLING	O	M	R	W	ECON	0s	4s
Shabnam MD	4	0	11	3	2.75	19	2
Kathryn Bryce	3	0	26	1	8.66	7	3
Ashleigh Gardner	3	0	30	1	10	5	4
Tanuja Kanwar	4	0	28	0	7	8	4
Mannat Kashyap	3	0	21	0	7	8	2
Meghna Singh	3	0	23	0	7.66	7	0

Earlier, opting to bat first, Gujarat Giants were off to a flying start, scoring 53 runs in the powerplay on the back of some superb hitting from openers Beth Mooney and Wolvaardt. However, UP Warriorz pulled things back after a wicket-less powerplay. UP made a superb comeback in the middle overs, taking three wickets for 13 runs first and then, 4 wickets for 18 runs later in the innings. 

The Gujarat captain remained stuck at one end but scored with a sedate pace. Riding on her luck, Mooney reached her fifty and then single-handedly took the best bowler - Sophie Ecclestone - for cleaners in the last over. Mooney smacked 21 runs and even asked one of her teammates to sacrifice the wicket to achieve things. With Gujarat looking certain to end at sub-par 140 total, Mooney bulldozed the team to a competitive 152-8 in 20 Overs.

Gujarat Giants Women (20 ovs maximum)
BATTING	Dismissals	R	B	M	4s	6s	SR
Laura Wolvaardt	st †Healy b Ecclestone	43	30	30	8	1	143.33
Beth Mooney (c)†	not out	74	52	77	10	1	142.3
Dayalan Hemalatha	c †Healy b Athapaththu	0	2	4	0	0	0
Phoebe Litchfield	c Ecclestone b Sharma	4	8	8	0	0	50
Ashleigh Gardner	c Sharma b Gayakwad	15	10	11	1	1	150
Bharti Fulmali	c †Healy b Sharma	1	4	3	0	0	25
Kathryn Bryce	c Athapaththu b Ecclestone	11	11	7	2	0	100
Tanuja Kanwar	b Ecclestone	1	3	2	0	0	33.33
Shabnam MD	run out (Harris/Ecclestone)	0	0	6	0	0	-
Meghna Singh	not out	0	0	1	0	0	-
Extras	(w 3)	3
TOTAL	20 Ov (RR: 7.60)	152/8
BOWLING	O	M	R	W	ECON	0s	4s
Chamari Athapaththu	4	0	25	1	6.25	11	4
Saima Thakor	2	0	19	0	9.5	6	4
Anjali Sarvani	1	0	11	0	11	3	2
Grace Harris	1	0	9	0	9	3	2
Rajeshwari Gayakwad	4	0	28	1	7	9	1
Deepti Sharma	4	0	22	2	5.5	9	2
Sophie Ecclestone	4	0	38	3	9.5	9	6