Harleen Deol produced a stunning turnaround just 24 hours after being retired out, starring in UP Warriorz’s first win of the season. Deol remained unbeaten on 64 off 39 balls to guide her side to a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians, rendering Nat Sciver-Brunt’s fine all-round performance ineffective.
Batting first, Mumbai Indians made a cautious start in the PowerPlay. Despite not losing a wicket, they managed only 32 runs in the first six overs. Amanjot Kaur, promoted to open, took most of the strike and found the boundary in almost every over, but a high dot-ball count slowed MI down. She tried to accelerate but fell for 38, while G Kamalini’s scratchy knock ended soon after at 5 off 12 balls.
The responsibility then fell on Harmanpreet Kaur and Sciver-Brunt. MI’s run rate crossed six only after the 11th over. Harmanpreet looked threatening with a few big hits before Chloe Tryon dismissed her with a superb diving catch. At 86 for 2 after 13 overs, MI needed a strong finish.
Sciver-Brunt delivered exactly that. She attacked Asha Sobhana before Nicola Carey joined the charge, smashing four boundaries in a single over off Tryon. Sciver-Brunt then struck five fours in the next two overs to complete a classy half-century. Although Warriorz pulled things back at the death, MI still managed to push their total to a competitive 161 for 5.
In reply, UP Warriorz had a steady start before Meg Lanning took on Sciver-Brunt to lift the PowerPlay score to 42. However, Sciver-Brunt struck back immediately, removing both openers in the same over. Deol walked in with confidence, hitting her first ball for four and racing to 18 off just nine deliveries. Phoebe Litchfield also played her part, including a six off Amelia Kerr, as Warriorz took control by the halfway stage.
Deol continued to dominate, punishing Shabnim Ismail late in her spell. Litchfield was kept quiet after her early flourish and eventually fell at a crucial moment, leaving Warriorz needing 44 off 30 balls. A no-ball from Sanskriti Gupta gave Deol the release she needed, and she brought up her half-century with a free-hit boundary. Chloe Tryon then finished the chase in style with an unbeaten cameo, sealing the win in the 19th over.
Brief scores:
Mumbai Indians 161/5 (Nat Sciver-Brunt 65, Amanjot Kaur 38; Shikha Pandey 1/25)
lost to
UP Warriorz 162/3 in 18.1 overs (Harleen Deol 64*, Chloe Tryon 27*; Nat Sciver-Brunt 2/28)
by 7 wickets.
