After a tough loss in the season opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gujarat Giants made a strong comeback with a fantastic win over UP Warriorz in Vadodara. This victory was much needed, and it came thanks to a brilliant performance from our bowlers. With the bat, Ashleigh Gardner once again stole the show, while Harleen Deol, Laura Wolvaardt, and Deandra Dottin also made valuable contributions.

Winning the toss, we decided to bowl first and got off to a great start. Deandra Dottin gave us the early breakthrough, dismissing the dangerous Kiran Navgire for just 15. Soon after, Ashleigh Gardner sent Vrinda Dinesh back for just 6.
UP Warriorz fought back with a 51-run partnership between Deepti Sharma and Uma Chetry, but Dottin struck again, removing Chetry. The turning point came when Priya Mishra dismissed the Australian duo of Tahlia McGrath and Grace Harris in the same over, pushing UP Warriorz from 73/2 to 78/5.

Deepti Sharma looked threatening, but Priya Mishra removed her as well, finishing with impressive figures of 3/25 in four overs. We kept up the pressure, taking regular wickets to slow the run rate. A late cameo from Saima Thakor, who scored 15 off 7 balls, helped UP Warriorz reach 143/9 in their 20 overs.

Chasing 144, we had a shaky start, losing two early wickets. But Ashleigh Gardner stepped up again. She counter-attacked and built a crucial 55-run stand with Laura Wolvaardt. Gardner played beautifully, reaching yet another fifty this season before getting dismissed.

After that, Harleen Deol and Deandra Dottin took charge. They mixed caution with aggression and put together an unbeaten 58-run stand to take us home. Dottin played a quickfire knock of 33 runs off just 18 balls, while Harleen remained steady with 34. In the end, we won the game comfortably with two overs to spare.

This was a near-perfect match for us after the disappointment of the first game. Our bowlers, especially the young talents Priya Mishra and Kashvee Gautam, were impressive with their performances. The batting unit also delivered under pressure while chasing.

Looking ahead, we need to maintain this momentum and continue to improve in all areas. Our next game is against Mumbai Indians, a strong team that will test us. However, with the confidence from this win, we are ready for the challenge. See you then.