UP Warriorz register highest- ever team total 225-5, knock RCB out of playoffs
LUCKNOW, March 8: Georgia Voll slammed an unbeaten 99 to power UP Warriorz to a massive 225/5, the highest ever total of the tournament, against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in their final match of the Women’s Premier League here on Saturday.
Voll was in superb form, striking 17 fours and one six in her 56-ball knock, leading a stellar top-order performance.
Kiran Navgire (46 off 16 balls), Grace Harris (39 off 22), and Chinelle Henry (19 off 15) were the other contributors after UPW were asked to bat first.
Voll’s knock equalled Sophie Devine’s 99, which was also scored against RCB in 2023, as the highest individual score in WPL history.
Georgia Wareham (2/43) took two wickets, but RCB failed to build any pressure.
RCB, who had lost their last four matches, saw skipper Smriti Mandhana win the toss, but Voll and Harris took full advantage of it, posting the highest powerplay score of the season, reaching 67/0.
Harris was the aggressor early on, smashing five fours off Kim Garth, while Voll cut loose, hitting three fours off Renuka Singh.
The partnership was broken when Harris was dismissed while running for a non-existent single, but Navgire joined Voll for a 71-run stand off 31 balls, taking UPW to 100 in 9.3 overs.
Navgire hit five sixes before holing out to Ellyse Perry at long-off.
Henry and Voll added 43 runs off 25 balls as UPW continued their onslaught.
Henry hit four boundaries before being dismissed, leaving UPW at 191/3 in the 17th over.
Voll finished just one run short of her century, as Deepti Sharma was run out off the final ball.
Earlier, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Smriti Mandhana won the toss and opted to bowl against UP Warriorz in their Women’s Premier League match here on Saturday.
RCB, the defending champions, made two changes, with Charlie Dean replacing Danni Wyatt-Hodge and S Meghana coming in for Ekta Bisht.
UPW also made a couple of changes, with Vrinda Dinesh and Gouher Sultana replaced by Poonam Khemnar and Anjali Sarvani.
It is a must-win game for RCB to keep their play-off hopes alive, while bottom-placed UPW are already out of contention.
As for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Georgia Wareham was the highest wicket-taker with two wickets to her name.
Charlie Dean took one wicket as none of the other bowlers failed to amount to much. Aiming to chase down the target, Bengaluru got off to a horrid start. Sabbhineni Meghana and S
mriti Mandhana scored 27 and 4 runs, respectively. Ellyse Perry and Raghvi Bist scored 28 and 14 runs, respectively, as well. Looking in deep trouble, it was the knock of Richa Ghosh that stabilised the innings for Bengaluru.
Coming in to bat under pressure, Ghosh went on to play an excellent knock. The star batter amassed 69 runs in 33 deliveries. Had Ghosh continued to bat, the situation could have looked quite different for Bengaluru. After Richa’s wicket, Bengaluru’s spirits deflated as the side quickly lost wickets from then on. Deepti Sharma and Sophie Ecclestone starred with the ball in the second innings, taking wickets at a crucial juncture. The defeat for Bengaluru meant that the defending champions have been eliminated from the third edition of the WPL, failing to make the playoffs. The side, despite winning their first two games, failed to win any from then on.(Agencies)
TEAMS
UP Warriorz: Deepti Sharma (c), Grace Harris, Georgia Voll, Kiran Navgire, Chinelle Henry, Shweta Sehrawat, Poonam Khemnar, Uma Chetry (w), Sophie Ecclestone, Kranti Goud, Anjali Sarvani.
Royal Challengers: Smriti Mandhana (c), Charlotte Dean, Ellyse Perry, Raghvi Bist, Richa Ghosh (w), Kanika Ahuja, Georgia Wareham, Kim Garth, Sneh Rana, Renuka Singh Thakur, Sabbhineni Meghana.