The Gujarat Giants will regret the missed opportunities as they fell to Royal Challengers Bangalore by six wickets in the opening match of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025, taking place in Vadodara’s Kotambi Stadium on Friday.
Skipper Ashleigh Gardner scored a blazing 79 runs off 37 balls, managing to take the Giants to an equal record of the highest score of 201/5 in 20 overs. The off-spin bowling all-rounder then scythed through both openers- Smriti Mandhana and Danni Wyatt-Hodge- in the second over of the game to hand the Giants a whiff of success.
However, their loss was bigger because of the lack of proper catches taken by the players into put immense pressure on the defending champions.
In fact, Elysse Perry was let off twice; first when she had just scored two runs, then when she had scored 19. The Aussie batter kept her side in the game through her brilliant half-century. After Perry’s dismissal, Richa Ghosh took the baton and led her team to victory with an incredible 93 runs for the fifth wicket with Kanika Ahuja, having been dropped on none.
“Pretty deflating, to be honest. I think 200 was only par, really, and we had to bowl really well. Doesn’t matter. Lost a few chances today and they have hurt us in the end. There are always going to be positives in every match, but unfortunately we just were not able to convert this one into a win.”
“You witness plenty of performances – Mooney setting the tone at the top while Deandra did what she does best – glimpses with the bat may come, but if you miss those opportunities, they can hurt you. She (Ghosh) batted really well and took her side to victory. It was quite difficult (with the dew). That didn’t help us at the end; it was quite tricky to hold the ball. But I won’t use that as an excuse,” said Ashleigh Gardner during the post-match conference.
The Gujarat Giants take on UP Warriorz on Sunday, looking for their first win of the season, while the Royal Challengers Bengaluru are hoping to continue their winning streak against Delhi Capitals, in a rematch of last year’s finals, on Monday.
