Sophie Devine finally found her groove, and the Gujarat Giants found their way back to winning ways.
Devine’s calm, unbeaten 50 set the platform before a ruthless bowling display powered Gujarat to a commanding 45-run win over UP Warriorz in the Women’s Premier League on Thursday, snapping a three-match losing streak in style.
Put in to bat, Gujarat stumbled early, but Devine held her nerve, anchoring the innings with a measured 50* off 42 balls as the Giants posted 153/8. It didn’t look flashy, but it proved more than enough.
What followed was a bowling clinic.
UP Warriorz never recovered from a disastrous start, collapsing to 108 all out in 17.3 overs. Rajeshwari Gayakwad marked her comeback with match-winning figures of 3/16, while Devine (2/16)
and Renuka Singh (2/20) chipped in to complete a dominant all-round effort.
The chase unraveled almost immediately. Kiran Navgire was stumped off a wide for a golden duck in the opening over, and Meg Lanning’s scratchy 14 ended in cruel fashion when a deflection crashed onto the stumps. Any hopes of a rebuild faded quickly.
Ashleigh Gardner broke the only real resistance by removing Phoebe Litchfield for 32, before Rajeshwari turned the screws with a triple-strike burst that left UP reeling at 93/7. Devine then dismissed Sophie Ecclestone to effectively shut the door.
Earlier, Gujarat’s innings had promised more after a brisk powerplay, but regular wickets stalled momentum. Beth Mooney top-scored with 38 before Sophie Ecclestone dismissed her, while Kranti Goud (2/18) impressed with the new ball for UP.
Devine, though, ensured Gujarat crossed the 150 mark, smashing two sixes in the final over after surviving a dropped catch and a near run-out.
In the end, it was Gujarat’s discipline with the ball that made the difference — lifting them to second on the table behind already-qualified Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and putting their campaign firmly back on track.
(with PTI inputs)
