UP Warriorz finally opened their account in the 2024 edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL) after beginning the tournament with a couple of losses as they came trumps against the defending champions Mumbai Indians at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday, February 28. Chasing 162 against a Harmanpreet Kaur-less MI, UP Warriorz finished the game off in just 16.3 overs owing to Kiran Navgire's 25-ball fifty and Grace Harris' rapid cameo of 38* off just 17 balls.
Captain Alyssa Healy too got a start after a couple of failures as a forced change in the opening combination meant Navgire blew away MI bowlers in the powerplay itself giving her partner and skipper time to ease into her innings. Healy scored 33 runs off just 29 balls and will be hoping to gain confidence from that knock and take it forward. However, the moment of the match involving Healy came in the first innings.
A fan came running onto the pitch breaching the security. However, he didn't know who he was running into as Healy gave him a proper tackle. Healy manhandled him before he was taken by the security and the police. The spectators at the ground witnessed the whole incident but the viewers on TV couldn't. The pictures, however, have gone viral on the internet.
Despite the start, Mumbai Indians got from openers Yastika Bhatia and Hayley Matthews, the middle-order san Harmanpreet couldn't give the final push they needed as UP Warriorz kept getting back in the contest with regular wickets. Navgire and Harris' blitzkrieg helped UPW chase down the target in a canter.
The Warriorz finally got on board while MI suffered their first defeat. MI will be hoping that their skipper Harmanpreet Kaur returns in their next game against the home team Royal Challengers Bangalore while UP Warriorz will aim to continue on their winning ways.
