WPL Review: Henry & Harris hand UP Warriorz their first win
Match 8 of the Women’s Premier League 2025 went in the favor of UP Warriorz who ended up clinching victory by 33 runs over Delhi Capitals Women at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Dinesh Vrinda’s poor run in WPL 2025 continued as she was dismissed by Marizanne Kapp on four in a quite sedate powerplay for UP-W, which ended with 38 runs on the board. Arundhati Reddy struck the first ball into her spell in the very subsequent over while the dismissals of Deepti Sharma and Shweta Sehrawat further jolted UP-W. The fall of Grace Harris left UP-W five-down by the end of 13 overs.
A 24-run fourth over of Shikha Pandey helped Chinelle Henry to get set. Arundhati was clobbered for three sixes in the penultimate over of the innings, as Henry ended up with a stunning 23-ball 62 to her name. With 67 runs being scored in the final four overs, DC-W were set a target of 178. Jess Jonassen’s four-wicket haul went under the radar due to Henry’s monstrous hitting at the death.
DC-W ended up scoring one run fewer than UP-W had managed in their powerplay. Kranti Goud picked up her maiden WPL wicket, leaving skipper Meg Lanning’s stumps in a mess. Shafali Verma never looked comfortable during her time in the middle and was dismissed by Goud, who claimed her second wicket of the day.
Other than Jemimah Rodrigues. who stroked a 35-ball 56, no other batter stepped up for DC-W. They were never in the reckoning post the early jolts. DC-W ended up getting bundled out for 144 in 19.3 overs. Goud and Harris shared eight wickets between each other, with UP-W coming back from the loss they succumbed against the same opposition a few days back. With the win, UP-W registered their first WPL 2025 points.
Best Performers of the match
Chinelle Henry (62* off 23)
The blinder of a knock that Henry played comes days after a 15-ball 33-run cameo against DC-W. The West Indian equalled the record for the joint-highest fifty in the WPL (18 deliveries) and also the third-highest strike rate in a WPL inning (269.56).
Grace Harris (4/15 in 2.3 overs)
Eight of the Australian off-spinner’s 15 deliveries were dots. The three wickets which she got other than that of Annabel Sutherland were of the lower middle-order batters and the tail. These were also her best figures in the WPL.
What’s next for both sides?
UP-W will take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women after a day’s break on February 24, while DC-W will face Gujarat Giants Women on February 10. Both the games will be played in Bengaluru and will commence at 7:30 pm (IST).
