Gujarat Giants are yet to win a match in the ongoing edition of the Women’s Premier League. Riding on Laura Wolvaardt and Beth Mooney’s fifties, Gujarat Giants posted 199/5.
Delhi: Gujarat Giants’ Laura Wolvaardt and Beth Mooney scripted history with a 140-run opening wicket stand in the history of Women’s Premier League (WPL) against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Wednesday. Seeking their first win in WPL 2024, the duo of Mooney and Wolvaardt registered the second-highest stand for any wicket. Delhi Capitals’ Meg Lanning and Shafali Verma (162) still hold the record for the highest partnership which they created in WPL 2023.
The opening-wicket stand between Wolvaardt and Mooney on Wednesday is also the highest for any wicket in the ongoing season. The Gujarat Giants duo surpassed Shafali-Lanning’s 119 against UP Warriorz, which they created in the Bengaluru leg of the tournament.
Languishing at the bottom of the five-team table with no wins from four games, Gujarat Giants had to do something special to keep them alive in the tournament. Wolvaardt was at her free-flowing best while elegant Mooney was equally regal as they finally put up a splendid batting show posting a challenging 199/5 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Having brought up the rear so far, Wolvaardt (76 off 45 balls) and Mooney (85 not out off 51 balls) added 140 in 13 overs to set up the foundation for a huge score. It did help that RCB bowlers couldn’t hit the right length on a Feroz Shah Kotla belter, as right-handed Wolvaardt and left-handed Mooney muscled the half-trackers during the Powerplay overs.
Both Sophie Devine (0/37 in 3 overs) and Renuka Thakur (0/34 in 4 overs) bowled too full as Mooney played some crisp cover drives while Wolvaardt also launched into Thakur with some beastly pulls. Wolvaardt hit 13 boundaries as she rocked back to pull the likes of leg-spinner Asha Sobhana and left-arm spinner Ekta Bist, while Devine did play some deft shots gliding a few past short third-man.
Once Wolvaardt was run-out, Mooney teamed up with Phoebe Litchfield (18) to add 52 runs in just 5.3 overs, but the Gujarat skipper remained stranded at the non-striker’s end with seven runs being added off last 10 balls with as many as four dismissals. Mooney, on her part, hit 12 fours and a huge six over mid-wicket.
Meanwhile, Gujarat Giants recorded their first win of WPL 2024 after restricting RCB to 180/7. Smriti Mandhana (24) and Sabbhineni Meghana (4) got out inside seven overs and their No 6 batter Georgia Wareham provided some late fireworks in her 22-ball 48 but it proved insufficient.