A dominant all-round performance by the Nainital SG Pipers saw them cruise to a 7-wicket win over the Mussoorie Thunders in Match 2 of the women’s leg of the Patanjali Uttarakhand Premier League 2024 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Dehradun on Thursday, September 19.
The result has put them into the final on the back of three points to their kitty, after their first match against Pithoragarh Hurricanes was washed out on Wednesday.
Having been asked to bowl first, the SG Pipers bowlers, led by skipper Ekta Bisht (2/19 off four overs) and Gunjan Bhandari (2/14 off four overs), tightened the lid on the scoring rate with regular wickets as the Thunders were restricted to 96/8 in their 20 overs. Openers Manisha Kunwar (31* off 37) and Megha Saini (26 off 18) cashed in on the powerplay and went about their work in brisk fashion, raising a 40-run opening partnership in just over five overs to set the tone for the chase.
Saini departed soon after and the scoring rate then dropped, although Kunwar continued to hold an end and got the runs coming her way. Kanchan Parihar (9 off 19) struggled but Dipika Chand (23 off 26) turned in a useful innings that ensured that the result was never in doubt at any stage. Eventually, Kunwar and skipper Ekta (2* off 2) saw the team home and secured their entry into the final with 15 deliveries to spare.
The win was of course set up by the bowlers as the Thunders never got going with the bat. Reena Jindal bagged a six-ball duck before Ekta ran Anjali Goswami (6 off 14) out in the fourth over with a superb throw. The skipper then got into the act to trap Shagun Chaudhary (6 off 5) in front as the Thunders crawled to 17/3 in the powerplay.
Wicket-keeper Nandini Kashyap (45 off 41) was the only batter to show some sort of a fight as she countered the spinners effectively. Skipper Mansi Joshi hung around with her for a 61-run partnership but couldn’t kick on and score more than 14 runs despite facing 31 deliveries. The death overs brought about more wickets as Ekta and Bhandari closed things out just how they started to ensure that the target was a modest one for the SG Pipers.
Friday’s clash between the Thunders and the Hurricanes is now a virtual knockout, with the winner proceeding to face the SG Pipers in the Women’s UPL 2024 final on Saturday.
Scores: Mussoorie Thunders 96/8 in 20 overs (Nandini Kashyap 45 off 41, Mansi Joshi 14 off 31, Gunjan Bhandari 2/14 off four overs) lost to Nainital SG Pipers 97/3 in 17.3 overs (Megha Saini 26 off 18, Manisha Kunwar 31* off 37, Garima Bisht 1/17 off three overs) by 7 wickets.
