WPL 2025: Who won the WPL match between UP Warriorz and the Gujarat Giants?

The 3rd match of the third edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL 2025) took place between the UP Warriors (UPW) & Gujarat Giants (GG) at the Barabati Stadium of Vadodara. 

This match proved to be a one-sided affair as the supreme bowling effort and incredible middle-order batting of the Gujarat Giants proved to be way too much to handle for the Deepti Sharma-led UP Warriorz as the Ashleigh Gardner-led side secured an easy six-wicket win. 

The Giants won the toss first and asked the Warriorz to have a bat first. While everyone was expecting the UP-based team to get off to a good start, that didn't turn out to be the case at all as it proved to be a lackluster batting display from them. The absence of Alyssa Healy hurt them and it was reflected in the number of runs they put up on the board. Even the batting experiment of sending captain Deepti Sharma to bat ahead of the likes of Grace Harris & Tahlia McGrath didn't work out in their favor. 

The duo of Vrinda Dinesh & Kiran Navgie opened the inning for the Warriorz and while both of them managed to score some runs in a decentish manner, they failed to capitalize on their opportunities and perished in consecutive overs. Following their dismissals, Captain Deepti Sharma alongside Uma Chetry tried to stabilize the sinking ship of UP as they stitched a partnership in the middle and managed to score runs under their belt but their eventual dismissals also rocked back the team of UP. 

In the end, the duo of Saima Thakur & Alana King retaliated with fighting cameos and ensured that the Warriorz put up a decent total of 143 runs on the board. 

The spin bowlers of the Gujarat Giants did their work to perfection with the ball as Priya Mishra dismissed three batters while skipper Ashleigh Gardner also bagged two scalps. The pace bowling duo of Deandra Dottin & Kashvee Gautam were the only pacers to pick up wickets as they registered two & one scalps to their name respectively. 

The Ashleigh Gardner-led team needed 144 runs in 120 deliveries to win this game and for a side that had scored 201 runs in the previous match, this score proved to be a walk in the park for them.

They started off the chase well but faced early setbacks as they lost Dayalan Hemalatha & Beth Mooney early and these dismissals gave UP a chance to come back in the match. But an amazing partnership between South Africa's Laura Wolvaardt and skipper Ashleigh Gardner allowed Gujarat to get back in the match. The duo played some sensational shots and ensured their team didn't suffer any more wicket hiccups till the ninth over. 

The partnership added 55 runs on the board before the South African skipper was sent back to the pavilion by Sophie Ecclestone. Following her dismissal, 26-year-old Harleen Deol arrived at the crease and steadied the ship with her captain. While the Aussie player was the main aggressor, Harleen took her own sweet time and played the role of the supporter.  

The Gujarat skipper took the attack to the UP bowlers and smashed seven boundaries including five fours and two huge maximums during her inning of 52 runs in 32 deliveries. However, she fell prey to fellow Australian Tahlia McGrath in the 12th over and this dismissal gave some hope to the Deepti Sharma-led of coming back into the game. 

But, their plans were spoiled as Harleen Deol (34 runs in 30 balls) and Deandra Dottin (33 runs in 18 balls) batted in a sensible & impactful manner and helped their side get over the line. The latter showcased her aggressive nature with the bat while Harleen once again played second fiddle and batted till the end. 

This win over the UP Warriorz has allowed the Gujarat Giants to secure their first win of the tournament and secure some valuable two points while the UP-based team suffered a defeat in their opening match and have been sent to the bottom of the table while the Giants have moved up to the 2nd spot. 

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