WPL 2024 - GG's Beth Mooney shines with 74 runs, Shabnam Shakil claims 3 wickets

Stayed from start to finish, Gujarat Giants (GG) captain and opener Beth Mooney showed exemplary leadership by guiding her team to a total of 152 for 8 after choosing to bat first against UP Warriorz (UPW) in the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2024 clash. Her side has even begun defending the decent total they posted, having already taken five wickets in 7 overs.

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The Gujarat franchise began and concluded their innings strongly, but faced challenges during the middle overs. However, the spotlight remained on Mooney throughout the innings. While her fifty wasn't rapid, she displayed resilience and secured her third consecutive 50+ score, scoring 74 off 52 balls, including 10 fours and one maximum.

Despite Sophie Ecclestone claiming 3 wickets for 17 runs in her first three overs, Mooney turned the tables by single-handedly taking on the spinner and smashing her for 21 runs in the final over.

As for the Warriorz, they made a commendable effort to recover after a wicket-less Powerplay, with Laura Wolvaardt (43) leading the charge. However, GG witnessed UPW's resurgence, with the latter picking 3 wickets for 13 runs initially and then 4 wickets for 18 runs later.

Initially shaping into a sub-par 140 total, Mooney's onslaught in the final overboosted GG's score. While it may not be a formidable total, it still poses a challenge.

As of the time of writing, UP Warriorz began their chase but have already lost five key wickets having scored 35 runs in seven overs. Skipper Alyssa Healy (4), Chamari Athapaththu (0), Kiran Navgire (0), Grace Harris (1) and Shweta Sehrawat departed for 8. Shabnam Md Shakil claimed three wickets, while Kathryn Bryce and Ashleigh Gardner have taken 1 each.

Squads:

Gujarat Giants playing XI: Laura Wolvaardt, Beth Mooney (c & wk), Phoebe Litchfield, Dayalan Hemalatha, Ashleigh Gardner, Bharati Fulmali, Kathryn Bryce, Mannat Kashyap, Tanuja Kanwar, Meghna Singh, Shabnam Md Shakil

UP Warriors playing XI: Alyssa Healy (c & wk), Kiran Navgire, Chamari Athapaththu, Grace Harris, Deepti Sharma, Shweta Sehrawat, Poonam Khemnar, Sophie Ecclestone, Saima Thakor, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Anjali Sarvani.