WPL 2024: Grace Harris emerged as star batter for UP Warriorz team to victory

UP Warriorz's batter Grace Harris shone with a brilliant half-century as her team register second victory of WPL 2024 with a six-wicket win over Gujarat Giants at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday.

With a target of 143, UP Warriorz chased it down in 15.4 overs. Harris played a brilliant unbeaten knock of 60 off 33 balls at an impressive strike rate of 181.82 to help her team to achieve the target. Skipper Alyssa Healy (33) and Deepti Sharma too contributed in Warriorz's run-chase.

For Gujarat Giants, Tanuja Kanwar scalped two wickets while Meghna Singh and Kathryn Bryce picked a wicket each. Despite taking crucial wickets of Healy, Kiran Navgire and Chamari Athapaththu, the Giants' fortunes didn't turn as Grace Harris took their bowlers to the cleaners.After opting to bowl first after winning the toss, UP Warriorz's bowling attack restricted Gujarat Giants to 142/5 in 20 overs. Despite a 52-run partnership between Phoebe Litchfield (35) and Ashleigh Gardner (30) for the fourth wicket,

Warriorz's bowlers ensured that Giants wouldn't go past 150-run mark and hand over the batters an easy target to chase.Sophie Ecclestone led UP Warriorz's bowling attack with a three-wicket haul, while Rajeshwari Gayakwad picked a wicket. Ecclestone's wicket of Ashleigh Garden and Phoebe Litchfield's run-out put a brake on UP Warriorz's momentum

UP Warriorz's rally on Grace Harris's fifty

 

Grace Harris emerged as the star batter for UP Warriorz as her brilliant fifty led her team to the victory. The 30-year-old walked out of bat after Alyssa Healy dismissal at 50/2 and began to unleash his firepower at word go.

Harris and Chamari Athapaththu kept Warriorz's batting sailing as the pair formed 36-run partnership for the third wicket until the latter's dismissal for 17 at 86/3. Thereafter, Grace Harris was joined by Shweta Sehrawat but the latter had a short stay at the crease as she dismissed for 2 at 90/4.

Then, all-rounder Deepti Sharma joined Harris at the crease in the middle to carry on UP Warriorz's run-chase.

The pair ensured no further fall of wickets as the UP Warriorz went past the finishing line with 4.2 overs to spare. Harris and Sharma (17) formed an unbeaten 50-run stand for the fifth wicket to help the team achieve the target.