Meg Lanning and Phoebe Litchfield produced a 119-run partnership to help UP Warriorz post a second successive win over Mumbai Indians in the Women’s Premier League at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Saturday evening.
Put in to bat, Lanning and Litchfield hit fifties to carry Warriorz to 187 for 8. However, a rejigged Mumbai Indians batting line-up faltered in the chase and succumbed to their third defeat of the season, in their last game in Navi Mumbai.
The Warriorz, who began their campaign with three defeats, became just the second team to do the league double over Mumbai. They joined Delhi Capitals with Lanning’s captaincy the link between the two.
Nicola Carey, opening the bowling with Shabnim Ismail rested, continued her great form as she cleaned up Kiran Navgire for a golden duck with an inswinging yorker that beat the batter all ends up. But Lanning ensured a good powerplay for the Warriorz.
After Litchfield picked up her first boundary courtesy an inside edge through backward square leg, Lanning got going with a pick-up flick off Carey that went all the way. Twelve runs came off that over, the third of the innings. Lanning then swept Nat Sciver-Brunt through square leg before picking up two more boundaries off Carey.
Lanning reached her half-century off 35 balls in the next over, hammering Kerr over long-off to get there. In the 13th and 14th overs, the Warriorz racked up 34 runs but lost both their set batters. Litchfield first beat Carey running to her left at deep midwicket as she swept Amanjot for six and then brought up a 33-ball half-century with a cover drive.
When Amanjot went short, Litchfield pulled her for another boundary through midwicket. She then chipped one to cover, where she was given another life, this time by Harmanpreet Kaur. Litchfield picked up another six off long-off to make it a 20-run over before a pick-up flick found deep backward square, where Sanskriti held on to this time.
Lanning didn’t want to release any pressure and took on Matthews next over, putting away a couple of short balls for back-to-back fours. She swept the off spinner for another boundary before picking out deep square leg to finish on 70 off 45.
After Lanning’s departure there was a period of 12 balls without a boundary. Then Chloe Tryon launched a six over long-off. Tryon and Harleen Deol kept the boundaries coming as they picked up 23 runs off the 17th and 18th overs.
But, Mumbai’s overseas allrounders then dampened the finish for the Warriorz. First, Sciver-Brunt started the penultimate over with back-to-back wickets. Tryon sliced a full toss to cover, where Harmanpreet made amends by holding on to the catch before Shweta Sehrawat was caught behind first ball. She got a thin edge that popped up off G Kamalini’s gloves, but the 17-year-old wicketkeeper did well to grab it in the second attempt.
Deol hit another boundary before missing a legbreak from Kerr in the final over to be out stumped. Kerr also had Sophie Ecclestone stumped and Deepti Sharma caught behind to give away only two runs in the final over and restrict Warriorz to 187 for 8.
Mumbai tried their fourth different combination of the season, with S Sajana partnering Matthews. Matthews started well, with three boundaries through the offside off Kranti Gaud and Shikha Pandey. Sajana got into the action in the third over, pulling Gaud for six over midwicket before getting an outside edge for four. But Gaud came back strong by trapping her in front to give the Warriorz the first breakthrough.
Having lost half their side and needing to score at over 13 runs an over, it was effectively game over for Mumbai. Amelie Kerr and Amanjot Kaur tried to mount a comeback, with an 83-run sixth wicket stand that saw the latter hammer three sixes, but they could not keep up with the asking rate. Amanjot offered a return catch to Pandey in the penultimate over, and the defending champions ended up 22 runs short.
Brief scores: UP Warriorz 187/8 in 20 overs (Meg Lanning 70, Phoebe Litchfield 61; Amelie Kerr 3/28, Nat Sciver-Brunt 2/22) beat Mumbai Indians 165/6 in 20 oves (Amelie Kerr 49 no, Amanjot Kaur 41; Shikha Pandey 2/30).
