WPL 2023: The inaugural edition of the Women's Premier League has been breathtaking with high-octane clashes. So far it promises great success and looks like a league that can alter women's cricket and how it is played. The players too have been doing their very best and are leaving no stone unturned to contribute and display their skills to the best of their capabilities. A total of three matches have been played so far and two of them have been high-scoring affairs.
In the opening match, Mumbai Indians Women beat Gujarat Giants by 143 runs and in the second match Delhi Capitals Women beat Royal Challengers Bangalore Women by a margin of 60 runs. The third match between Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz too went to the wire, but overall, the matches have been a great endorsement for women's cricket so far. UP Warriorz won the match by 3 wickets and it was Kiran Navgire's knock of 53 off 43 that helped the Warriorz cruise through and register the first victory of their WPL campaign. More than Navgire's knock it was her bat that attracted the attention of many cricket fans.
Interestingly, Navgire's bat did not consist of any sponsor labels, but a mark, a mark that she made on her bat. The match read 'MSD 07'. The broadcasters pointed it out during the live match while Navgire was busy navigating ways to help her team cruise through. Gujarat Giants without the leadership of Beth Mooney won the toss and decided to bat first. They registered a total of 169 in their quota of 20 overs. Warriorz on the other hand with the help of Grace Harris' 59 and Kiran Navgire's 53 helped their side win the match by 3 wickets.
UP Warriorz XI: Alyssa Healy (c & wk), Shweta Sehrawat, Tahlia McGrath, Deepti Sharma, Grace Harris, Simran Shaikh, Kiran Navgire, Devika Vaidya, Sophie Ecclestone, Anjali Sarvani, Rajeshwari Gayakwad
Gujarat Giants XI: Sabbhineni Meghana, Sophia Dunkley, Sushma Verma (wk), Ashleigh Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, Dayalan Hemalatha, Harleen Deol, Sneh Rana (c), Kim Garth, Mansi Joshi, Tanuja Kanwar
