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So, it is Velocity vs Supernovas in the final, a re-match of tonight's encounter.
Both these teams have made the final on the basis of net run-rate. I guess, this is one of the few occasions where both the winning and the losing team is happy with the result.
Velocity 130/3 in 20 overs: Mithali Raj and Veda Krishnamurthy cannot clear the ropes and with a 53-run partnership off 51 balls goes in vain as they fall short by 12 runs.
Despite the loss, Velocity has made the final on basis of net run-rate.
Velocity 120/3 in 19 overs: It is now 23 runs off 6 balls. Mithali and Veda have made it difficult for themselves.
Velocity 106/3 in 17 overs: The Velocity batswomen haven't got a big over yet. They have managed just 8 runs on an average in the last five overs. 37 off 18 balls is the equation now and the partnership between Mithali and Veda is now 29 off 33 balls. Not the way the duo would have liked, especially after getting their eye in.
Velocity 92/3 in 15 overs: It is now 51 runs off 30 balls and Mithali Raj with Veda Krishnamurthy is looking solid in the middle. The duo have got their eye in and must take on the bowlers now.
Velocity 84/3 in 13 overs: Sophie Devine sends out an over without conceding a boundary but the Velocity batswomen have picked up the gaps and were happy taking the singles. Velocity needs 59 runs in 42 balls now.
Veda Krishnamurthy joins her idol Mithali Raj.
Velocity 77/3 in 11.3 overs: What a freak dismissal. Danielle Wyatt looks to send Poonam Yadav beyond the cow corner boundary, misses the slog and the ball just brushes past the leg stump and the bail falls off. Wyatt goes for 43.
Velocity 75/2 in 11 overs: Seven runs off the Sophie Devine over as Velocity needs 68 off 54 balls now.
75 runs in 60 balls. I am backing Velocity to do it.
Velocity 68/2 in 10 overs: At the halfway stage, it looks like Velocity is in control with Danielle Waytt on 38 off 28 balls and Mithali Raj on 15 off 16 balls. The duo have added 47 in 39 balls, so far. Leg spinner Poonam Yadav just bowled a brilliant over mixing it well with flighted ones, slower ones and leg breaks, giving away just one run.
Velocity 55/2 in 8 overs: Wyatt and Mithali have added 34 runs off 27 balls and Velocity has started to rebuild its innings. The experienced batswomen know exactly what to do in these situations — take the singles when the field is spread out and punish the bad balls. That's exactly what they are upto now.
Velocity 46/2 in 6 overs: Both Danielle Wyatt and Mithali Raj are taking their chances. They have added 25 runs in just 15 balls as both the batswomen haven't shied away from playing the big shots and going over the 30-yard circle.
Velocity 34/2 in 5 overs: Wyatt goes big again. Radha Yadav flights it and Wyatt is down the track in a second and smacks this over long-off. She also took a boundary two balls earlier when she goes above a leaping mid-on fielder.
Velocity 21/2 in 3.3 overs: Anuja Patil strikes. Velocity wobbling. Hayley Mathews misses a straighter one and it was plumb the second the ball hits the pads. Everyone knows and umpire knows it too. Mithali Raj joins Danielle Wyatt in the middle.
Velocity 15/1 in 3 overs: Danielle Wyatt is in the zone. She comes down the track and sends Radha Yadav into the orbit, straight down the ground. Top shot from the England player.
Velocity 7/1 in 2.1 overs: Shafali Verma comes down the track, misses one from Radha Yadav and the ball darts on to the stumps. No fireworks from the 15-year-old tonight. Velocity rocked early in chase.
Velocity 4/0 in 1 over: Hayley Matthews plays one to the fine leg area off Radha for the only scoring shot of the over.
Hayley Mathews and Shafali Verma in the middle. Radha Yadav of Supernovas will start the proceedings with the ball.
We'll be back with the Velocity chase, in a bit.
Supernovas 142/3 in 20 overs: A superlative batting effort from Jemimah Rodrigues, 77 off 48 balls woth 10 fours and 1 six, helps Supernovas to the highest score in the Women's T20 so far.
Supernovas 135/3 in 19 overs: A superlative batting effort. Just one over left now.
Supernovas 134/3 in 18.3 overs: Mithali Raj takes a good catch to dismiss Sophie Devine. The Kiwi departs for 9, caught by Mithali as she danced down to accelerate the scoring rate. Harmanpreet Kaur is the new batswoman in.
Supernovas 132/2 in 17.4 overs: Jemimah Rodrigues smashes the first six of tonight's match. She takes on Jahanara Alam beyond the deep midwicket fence. It was a length ball and Rodrigues was onto her shot in a flash.
Supernovas 124/7 in 17 overs: Sophie Devine (8 off 10) and Jemimah Rodrigues (62 off 39) have added 40 runs in just 27 balls as Supernovas look at a beyond-par score. The Indian has been the aggressor but Devine has played an excellent hand.
Supernovas 109/2 in 15 overs: A scintillating 50 from Jemimah Rodrigues. She has got to the landmark in 31 balls, with eight boundaries. Back-to-back boundaries from Rodrigues off Ekta Bisht gets her the landmark. She, in the company of Sophie Devine, has been on the top of her game for Supernovas. The last four overs have given Supernovas 36 runs.
Supernovas 84/2 in 12.3 overs: Amelia Kerr breaks the 55-run partnership. Chamari Athapaththu comes down the track, misses the googly and it is easy work for Sushma Verma behind the stumps. An important wicket at an important time for Velocity. Sophie Devine is the new batswoman in.
Supernovas 78/1 in 12 overs: Top stuff from Jemimah Rodrigues. She waited for a length ball from Jahanara Alam, picked it up early and slogs it over mid-wicket for a four. Apart from that first ball, Alam did well to comeback and just conceed just one more in the over.
Supernovas 63/1 in 10 overs: We are at the half-way stage. Jemimah Rodrigues and Chamari Athapaththu have added 34 runs in 33 balls as Supernovas hover around the 6 runs per over mark.
Supernovas 49/1 in 8 overs: Rodrigues and Athapaththu have added a run-a-ball 19 as Supernovas look to build momentum in the middle overs.
Supernovas 39/1 in 6 overs: Two back-to-back boundaries by Jemimah Rodrigues. She is looking in great touch. She first sweetly times one to covers and then a fuller one from Komal is treated with disdain.
Supernovas 31/1 in 5.2 overs: Mithali Raj drops one! She misjudges one, might be because of the lights and drops a skier. It was a length ball from Komal Zanzad and Chamari Athapaththu tried to go after, wasn't in control and ended up skying it up and Mithali made a mess of it.
Supernovas 30/1 in 5 overs: Jemimah Rodrigues joins Chamari Athapaththu in the middle. One more over of powerplay remains and Supernovas would be eager to milk the maximum out of this.
Supernovas 29/1 in 4.4 overs: Shikha Pandey removes Priya Punia. The batswoman skies one to mid-off and Veda Krishnamurthy had to take a step or two backward and accept the skier with glee.
Supernovas 13/0 in 3 overs: Shikha Pandey has been on the top of her game. She gives nothing away. Chamari Athapaththu is living dangerously, though. She was nearly run-out in a miscommunication.
Supernovas 12/0 in 2 overs: Bangladesh skipper Jahanara Alam gives away two boundaries — both from Athapaththu, one through backward point and the other straight to mid-on as Supernovas is off to a good start.
Supernovas 3/0 in 1 over: Shikha Pandey bowls a tidy over. Two half-chances, one off the second ball when Priya Punia miscued to mid-off but the ball fell in no man's land. The penultimate ball was a half-shout for LBW but the umpire wasn't interested.
Priya Punia and Chamari Athapaththu to open. Shikha Pandey with the ball.
It is a must win for the Supernovas. Will they be able to get over the line? We'll find out in a while. Live action coming up.
Why did Mithali chose to bowl after winning the toss?
This is what Mithali said at the toss: "We'll bowl first. The bowlers did well in the last game and there is a bit of breeze around, that should help to get some swing. These things happen as some players were too eager to express themselves, the nerves might have settled and today should be better. We have one change - Jahanara in for Sushree."
Harmanpreet was also in the same opinion. "We would have bowled first as well but anyway, we need to bat well to win the game. We're playing the same XI and hope to do well."
Here are the playing XIs:
Velocity : Hayley Matthews, Shafali Verma, Danielle Wyatt, Mithali Raj (cap), Veda Krishnamurthy, Sushma Verma (wk), Shikha Pandey, Jahanara Alam, Amelia Kerr, Komal Zanzad and Ekta Bisht.
Supernovas : Priya Punia, Chamari Athapaththu, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (cap), Natalie Sciver, Sophie Devine, Lea Tahuhu, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Anuja Patil, Poonam Yadav and Radha Yadav.
Toss update: Velocity skipper Mithali Raj wins toss, to bowl first.
Here is the preview of the match from our correspondent P.K. Ajith Kumar.
Must-win game for Supernovas
The Women’s T20 Challenge is nicely poised going into the final match of the league phase, in which Supernovas takes on Velocity at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Thursday.
Both teams are in with a chance to qualify for the final.
Harmanpreet’s Supernovas has to win tonight if it has to harbour any hopes of making it to the final, afetr losing a thriller opening encounter to Trailblazers.
However, Smriti Mandhana’s girls were brought down to the ground by Velocity in Wednesday's match.
Mithali will not be pleased with the way her team fumbled to a three-wicket win.
Chasing a meagre 113, the team lost five wickets in seven balls, without adding run, when just two were needed.
Had it not been for the abysmal fielding that cost the Trailblazers two matches in a row, Velocity would have struggled even harder to cross the line.
The major takeaway from the first two matches ought to be the batting.
Smriti, Harmanpreet, Harleen Deol, Danielle Wyatt and the 15-year-old Shafali Verma all chipped in with spirited performances, amply entertaining the Jaipur crowd.
The live streaming of the match is on Hotstar.
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