A thrilling Sunday awaits as the Gujarat Giants gear up to take on the UP Warriorz! Our campaign didn’t begin as we had hoped, with a tough loss against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Friday. Richa Ghosh, Ellyse Perry, and Kanika Ahuja delivered strong performances for RCB, but there were plenty of positives for us as well, especially from Beth Mooney and Ash Gardner.

Batting first, Beth Mooney gave us a solid start with a well-made fifty, but it was our new skipper who stole the show. She smashed 8 sixes in her explosive innings—the joint-most by any player in a single WPL match! She scored a brilliant 79 off just 37 balls, powering us to a strong total of 201. She wasn’t done yet, as she struck twice in her very first over, putting RCB on the back foot. However, they fought back hard, with Ellyse Perry scoring a half-century, and the duo of Richa Ghosh and Kanika Ahuja putting together a match-winning 93-run partnership.

Now, we turn our focus to the UP Warriorz, who are playing their first match of the tournament. They have suffered a setback with Alyssa Healy pulling out, and Deepti Sharma has stepped in as the new captain. Chinelle Henry has also joined their squad. Despite this, they remain a strong side with key players like Deepti Sharma, Grace Harris, Chamari Athapaththu, Tahlia McGrath, Rajeshwari Gaikwad, Sophie Ecclestone, and Shweta Sehrawat. They narrowly missed the playoffs last season and will be eager to start strong, so we must be prepared for a tough contest.

Our head-to-head record against them isn’t in our favor, as they have won three out of our four meetings. However, we did manage to defeat them last season, and we’re determined to add another win to our tally. It promises to be an exciting battle, and we’re ready to give it our all to secure our first victory of the season!