Newfound confidence and a toothless bowling opponent helped Gujarat Giants register its first win of the season with a 19-run win over Royal Challengers at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday.
A 140-run stand between Beth Mooney (85 n.o., 51b, 12x4, 1x6) and Laura Wolvaardt (76, 45b, 13x4), which set Giants up for its biggest total of the season, was the highlight of a largely one-sided encounter.
Chasing 200 to win, Royal Challengers were never allowed to get comfortable at the crease with a comparatively proactive bowling attack doing well to take regular wickets. Ashleigh Gardner made Smriti Mandhana her bunny yet again for a 16-ball 24.
Sophie Devine began with some massive hits peppered over long-on and deep square-leg but fell soon after. Ellyse Perry went a little over a run-a-ball but neither her nor Richa Ghosh could capitalise on good starts.
Georgia Wareham (48, 22b, 6x4, 2x6) looked the most promising batter of the lot, but lost partners regularly. When the equation came down to 57 off 17 balls, the writing was on the wall for Royal Challengers.
GG-W vs RCB-W Highlights: Gujarat Giants beats Royal Challengers Bangalore Women by 19 runs
Earlier, Mooney became the first captain to win the toss and opt to set a target. The opening stand, the highest of the season and Giants’ first fifty-plus stand up top this year, exposed RCB’s wasteful bowling.
Nervy running cost Mooney two partners, Wolvaardt first and Phoebe Litchfield next, after which Gardner fell for a first-ball duck.
D. Hemalatha and Veda Krishnamurthy were sent in one after another ahead of big-hitting Kathryn Bryce but could collectively manage just a run each at the expense of five balls. What looked like a 210-run total stopped at 199.
Giants’ total featured just one six and 26 fours. Seventeen extras and some clumsy fielding in key moments only compounded Mandhana and Co.’s off night on the field.
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