The Mussoorie Thunders scripted history with a 3-wicket win over Nainital SG Pipers and were crowned champions of the women’s leg of the inaugural Patanjali Uttarakhand Premier League 2024 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Dehradun on Saturday, September 21.
Having won the toss, skipper Mansi Joshi asked the SG Pipers to bat first. Setting the tone with a tidy opening over herself, Mansi saw her troops follow suit as the SG Pipers couldn’t get off the blocks. Eventually, Ekta Bisht & Co. had to settle for a modest total of 118/8 in their 20 overs.
In response, the Thunders were rocked early as Shagun Chaudhary (1 off 12) struggled to get going before she was dismissed by Vaishali Tulera (1/25 off four overs) off the last ball of the second over. They had the ideal batter for the situation though as the in-form Nandini Kashyap (28 off 23) steadied the ship in the company of Anjali Goswami (25 off 32). It also helped that the SG Pipers bowled a number of wides – twelve in total – but it was a third-wicket partnership of 57 that put the Thunders right on top.
That’s when Gunjan Bhandari (3/18 off four overs) broke the game open, dismissing Kashyap and Mansi off consecutive deliveries to up the pressure on the Thunders. Goswami fell in the following over and that brought the match on an even footing although Prema Rawat (32* off 26) gave a fine account of herself by absorbing the pressure. At 102/4, the result seemed a formality but Amisha Bahukhandi (2/17 off four overs) dismissed Reena Jindal (10 off 11) to keep things in the balance.
Ekta conceded just six runs off the 18th over but Bhandari sending down three wides in the 19th brought the equation down to two runs needed off the last over. Despite Sakshi Joshi’s run out while attempting a second run, the Thunders held their nerve and crept past the finish line with three deliveries to spare.
The seeds of this win, however, were sown by the bowlers. Mansi (0/21 off three overs) was at her impeccable best in the powerplay as she managed to generate some swing. Garima Bisht went for a couple of boundaries but off-spinner Sakshi kept things tight with Rudra Sharma also doing her bit to the same effect. The pressure told on the openers as Manisha Kunwar (13 off 17) was run out in the final over of the powerplay with the phase producing just 26 runs for the SG Pipers. Megha Saini (15 off 25) departed shortly after too as she failed to make up for a slow start.
The score read 41/2 at the halfway mark with the SG Pipers in dire need of an acceleration. Regular wickets did not help their cause one bit as Kanchan Parihar (20 off 21) did not convert her start either. It came down to Kanak Tapraniya’s 15-ball 29 to inject some momentum as something finally went the SG Pipers’ way, with Tapraniya taking on Mansi as well to great effect. Rudra (3/20 off four overs) did not disappoint though as a three-wicket over followed in the 19th which also included a run out.
Tapraniya was one of the three wickets to fall having been castled after an enterprising cameo that played a pivotal role in taking the team’s score close to the 120-mark. It was a blitz that gave the SG Pipers a fighting chance and the bowlers made the most of it and gave everything on the field. In the end though, they were left ruing what could have been had they had a few more runs to work with.
The Thunders completed a magnificent turnaround having lost to the same opposition a couple of days ago. It’s safe to say that the celebrations will go long and hard into the night – particularly for Kashyap, who bagged a host of awards including the Emerging Player Award as well as the Player of the Tournament.
Scores: Nainital SG Pipers 118/8 in 20 overs (Kanchan Parihar 20 off 21, Kanak Tapraniya 29 off 15, Rudra Sharma 3/20 off four overs) lost to Mussoorie Thunders 119/7 in 19.3 overs (Nandini Kashyap 28 off 23, Prema Rawat 32* off 26, Gunjan Bhandari 3/18 off four overs) by three wickets.
