WPL 2025: Priya Mishra signals her arrival, Ash Gardner continues good form as Gujarat Giants defeat UP Warriorz
If words could describe Priya Mishra’s wicket celebrations, it would be: ‘I belong here’. The young legspinner made her mark in the Women’s Premier League fixture between Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz on Sunday and brought out her signature move of pointing to the ground. The 20-year-old from Delhi picked up three important wickets in Gujarat’s six-wicket win in Vadodara on Sunday. UPW finished with 143 for 9 in their quota of 20 overs. Mishra finished with figures of 25/3, while Gardner and Dottin picked two wickets each. In reply, GG chased the target down in 18 overs, scoring 144/4.
Priya first brought out the celebration as she took the catch of Uma Chetry off Deandra Dottin’s bowling. It continued as she struck twice in her second over, first trapping experienced Tahila McGrath in front for a duck (albeit a dubious decision) and then knocking off Grace Harris’s stump two deliveries later. She returned in the 15th over to snap up the highest scorer of UP’s innings, skipper Deepti Sharma. Gujarat captain Ash Gardner had praised the growth of Priya before the start of the WPL, and the youngster proved her captain right with a match-winning performance.
Gardner opted to field after winning the toss, the bowling line-up packed a punch together and never let the UP Warriorz batting line-up take off. UP started explosively, with Kiran Navgire hitting three fours in the first two overs, but Dottin sent her packing in the second over. Vrinda Dinesh departed in the next over, falling to the spin of Gardner. Uma Chetry and Deepti Sharma tried to stabilize the ship, but Dottin and Mishra wreaked havoc to send half the UPW team back into the pavilion.
Gujarat started poorly, with Grace Harris getting the prized wicket of Beth Mooney in the first over. Sophie Ecclestone knocked over Dayalan Hemalatha in the second over to make it 2/2. But Gardner’s 52 off 32 balls doused any hope of a UPW fightback.
Gardner and experienced batter Laura Wooldvaart steadied the ship and counter-attacked, taking 20 runs in the fifth over bowled by Saima Thakor. The experienced duo recorded a partnership of 55 runs before Ecclestone knocked over Wooldvaart in the ninth over. However, Gardner continued her attack and scored a quickfire 50 in 28 balls, for a second straight half century. She holed out in 12th over to Navgire off McGrath.
The runs kept flowing for Gujarat as Harleen Deol (34*) and Dottin (33*) combined to add 58 runs for the final wicket and drove them past the finish line, recording the first win of the season.
Gardner was named player of the match for her bowling figures of 2/39, a fine catch to dismiss Deepti and a blistering knock with the bat
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Brief Scores: UP Warriorz 143/9 (Deepti 39, Priya 3/25, Dottin 2/34) lost to Gujarat Giants 144/4 (Gardner 52, Deol 34*, Ecclestone 2/16) by six wkts
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