WPL: Mooney's sensational 96 leads Gujarat Giants to dominant victory

Lucknow: Opener Beth Mooney showcased her brilliance in the Women’s Premier League, delivering a stunning performance to lead Gujarat Giants to an impressive 81-run victory over hosts UP Warriorz on Monday. The win not only helped Gujarat Giants level the scores in their six encounters so far in the league but also solidified their position in the cash-rich tournament.

One of the consistent batters in the game who hits the ball all over the ground with sheer power, Mooney struck an unbeaten 96 in just 59 balls with the help of 17 boundaries, mostly past the bowler, as Gujarat Giants piled up 186/5 on a batters-friendly turf of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium.

In reply, UP Warriorz found it hard to chase down a big total after losing two quick wickets in the first over. They were dismissed for 105, their fourth defeat in the season after notching up back-to-back wins.

Deandra Dottin forced opener Kiran Navgire into nicking it to Phoebe Litchfield at slip off the second ball before castling Georgia Voll off the fifth ball, also for a duck. This wasn’t all as Kasvee Gautam bowled Dinesh Vrinda (1) and Meghana Singh got Deepti Sharma caught by Mooney to leave UP Warriorz struggling at 25/4.

Thereafter, it remained just a formality for the Gujarat Giants to finish the job in 17.1 overs. Kshvee Gautam and Tanuja Kanwar shared six wickets while Dottin took 2/14 to dash all hopes of UP Warriorz in their first game on home turf.

Earlier, Australian left-hander Mooney with Harleen Deol laid a solid foundation, stitching together 101 runs for the opening wicket after being asked to bat on a placid mixed soil turf. Having scored an unbeaten 89 during the previous season, Mooney put the UP Warriorz bowlers to the sword, smashing boundaries to become the highest individual scorer of this WPL edition.

Even after losing Dayalan Hemlatha in the first over, Mooney and Deol didn’t become cautious as they kept stroking the ball before Deol (45, 32b, 6x4) was bowled by Sophie Ecclestone while trying to manufacture a shot as she backed away to play a cut shot. Though skipper Ashleigh Gardner (11), Dottin (17) and Litchfield (8) fell in quick succession, it didn’t make much of a difference to Mooney, who remained unbeaten.

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