Sushma Verma and Sune Luus played shots of 34 and 37 respectively when Velocity defeated Supernovas by five wickets in the Women’s T20 Challenge at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
Chasing 127, Velocity got off to the worst possible start when Danielle Wyatt was sent back to the pavilion by Ayabonga Khaka in the first over of innings. Velocity took another big hit in the third when Khaka fired Shafali Verma (17), reducing speed to 17/2.
Mithali Raj and Veda Krishnamurthy put together a brief 21-race partnership, but the stand came to an end on lap 9 when Shashikala Siriwardene sent Mithali (7) back to the pavilion, slowing down to 38/3.
Veda Krishnamurthy and Sushma Verma kept moving the score, but as soon as Velocity started to gain the lead, Radha Yadav sent Veda (29) back to the pavilion, reducing the side to 65/4 in 13th.
Sushma Verma and Sune Luus gave the Velocity innings the much-needed boost by joining a 51-race partnership. But with 11 escapes from the target, Verma (34) lost his window in the penultimate change.
In the end, Luus led Velocity over the line for five wickets with a ball to spare.
Previously, Ekta Bisht’s three-terrain tour helped Velocity restrict Supernovae to 126/8 in the allotted twenty overs.
Sent at bat first, Priya Punia and Chamari Athapaththu provided a steady start to Supernovas as both batters made 30 runs for the first wicket, but Velocity came back strong in the sixth over when Leigh Kasperek fired Punia (11).
In the eighth over, Jemimah Rodrigues (7) was cleanly thrown by Ekta Bisht, reducing Supernovas to 42/2. Harmanpreet then joined Athapaththu in the middle and the duo ran 47 runs for the third wicket.
However, in trying to speed up the entries, Athapaththu (44) was sent back to the pavilion by Jahanara Alam on the 14th, reducing the Supernovae to 89/3. At 17, Alam fired Harmanpreet (31), putting Supernovas in a nuisance point at 111/4.
In the final three overs, Supernovas managed to add just ten more runs to their total and Velocity picked up four wickets to restrict the side led by Harmanpreet to a score of less than the 130-run mark. For Velocity, Ekta Bisht took three plots, while Alam and Kasperek took two plots each.
Brief scores: Speed 129/5 (Sushma Verma 34, Sune Luus 37 *, Ayabonga Khaka 2-17) defeat Supernova 126/8 (Chamari Athapaththu 44, Harmanpreet Kaur 31, Ekta Bisht 3-22) through five windows.
What a thriller we have witnessed here in Sharjah! 👌#Speed roll a 5-wicket on #Supernovas at the inaugural meeting of # JioWomensT20Challenge 🔝👏👌#NOVACIO pic.twitter.com/jTB9yVgM1y
– IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) November 4, 2020
10:40 pm IST
Speed needs 9 off to win the match
10:36 p. M. IST
Speed takes 15 runs to win with 12 balls
10:27 pm IST
Good 16 for Velocity when Sane Luus broke two sixes from Poonam Yadav to ease the pressure. Speed now needs 36 of 24 balls. SPD 91-4 after 16 overs
10:13 pm IST
OUTSIDE!
Velocity now looks down as Radha removes Veda on the thirteenth. Krishnamurthy c Athapaththu b Radha Yadav 29 (28) [4s-4] | SPD 65/4 after 13 overs
10:07 pm IST
12 overs completed!
Sushma and Veda need to go for the big shots now as Velocity needs 68 of 48 balls and the pressure is building on them. SPD 59/3 after 12 overs
OUTSIDE!
9:55 pm IST
Just when it looked like Velocity was getting back into the game, they lost Mithali Raj. Mithali c Selman b Siriwardene 7 (19) | SPD 38/3 after 8.3 over
9:50 pm IST
Velocity captain Mithali Raj along with Veda Krishnamurthy stabilized the innings after the team suffered initial setbacks. SPD 30-2 after 7 overs
9:32 pm IST
OUTSIDE!
Speed in serious trouble when they lose to beater Shafali Verma, who broke three limits in front of Khaka, before hitting directly into the hands of Selman, who was fielding in the middle of deep wicket. Shafali Verma c Selman b Ayabonga Khaka 17 (11) [4s-4] | SPD 17/2 after 3 overs
Ayabonga Khaka is on a roll when he chooses 2 plots in 2 overs overs
Live: https://t.co/Yg9YXOZxBM#NOVACIO # JioWomensT20Challenge pic.twitter.com/fdgoHFk4kG
– IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) November 4, 2020
9:22 pm IST
OUTSIDE!
Wyatt returns to the crouching pavilion when she is caught behind Khaka’s delivery. Wyatt c Bhatia b Ayabonga Khaka 0 (5) | SPD 0/1 after 1 envelope
9:15 pm IST
Danielle Wyatt and Shafali Verma come out to open for Velocity when Ayabonga Khaka begins the Supernova attack.
Speed takes 127 races to win
End of Supernova innings and they have accumulated 126 runs in the 20 assigned overs. They lost 8 wickets in the process and will be grateful to Chamari Athapaththu (44) Harmanpreet Kaur (31) for reaching this total.
On the other hand, Ekta Bisht shone for Velocity when he chose three windows.
📽️ Look at the #Supernovas the brilliant 44 shot from starter Chamari Athapaththu, starting her tournament in style. 🔥🔥#NOVACIO # JioWomensT20Challenge https://t.co/0Sfz0qKwtl
– IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) November 4, 2020
8:52 pm IST
OUTSIDE!
Match 1. 17.3: WICKET! P Vastrakar (0) is out, c Veda Krishnamurthy b Leigh Kasperek, 117/5 https://t.co/G0GsolU9kE #NOVACIO # JioWomensT20Challenge
– IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) November 4, 2020
8:50 pm IST
OUTSIDE!
A great blow for the Supernovae with the departure of their patron Harmanpreet. Soft dismissal this. Jahanara and Harmanpreet’s slower ball wanted to get it over the short fine, but he only manages to gain an attacking advantage when Shikha Pandey takes an easy catch on the short thin leg. Kaur c Shikha Pandey b Jahanara Alam 31 (27) [4s-1 6s-2] | SPN 116-4 after 17 overs
8:45 pm IST
16 overs completed!
Supernova captain Harmanpreet Kaur is doing his best to increase the pace of innings and keep the score moving with some big shots as there are only four overs left to complete innings. SPN 106-3 after 16 overs
8:35 pm IST
OUTSIDE!
A much-needed wicket for Velocity when Jahanara takes out Athapaththu, who looked dangerous from the last couple of laps. It was a long, wide ball off the stump and Athapaththu went for the great effort straight to the ground. He got the lift, but lacked distance, as Veda took a good catch up long. Athapaththu c Krishnamurthy b Jahanara Alam 44 (39) [4s-2 6s-2] | SPN 93/3 after 14 overs
8:30 pm IST
Much needed big shots from Athapaththu (42) in two previous overs as he greatly increases the pace of Supernova innings. Responsibility at Harmanpreet Kaur (12) now. SPN 78-2 after 12 overs
8:18 pm IST
10 overs completed!
We’re halfway through the game and this has been a slow fire for SuperNovas. They are at 53/2 in 10 plus – Harmanpreet Kaur needs to start shooting soon. SPN 53-2 after 10 overs
8:05 pm IST
BOLUS!
A simple flatter delivery from Ekta Bisht and Jemimah Rodrigues was for the big booming sweep, but it just doesn’t mark the line as the ball flies past and hits the stumps. Rodrigues b Ekta Bisht 7 (8) [4s-1] | SPN 43-2 after 8 overs
7:55 pm IST
OUTSIDE!
Leigh Kasperek draws the first blood from Velocity while eliminating Priya Punia, who passed it directly to Veda midway. Easy catch there! Priya Punia c Krishnamurthy b Kasperek 11 (15) [4s-2] | SPN 32-1 after 6 overs
7:50 pm IST
Priya (11) and Athapaththu (8) are taking the time to calm down and play smart, as they will not be taking aerial shots from now on. SPN 19-0 after 4 overs
7:40 pm IST
Priya (6) and Athapaththu (2) start off cautious as they have scored 8 runs in the first two overs. SPN 8/0 after 2 overs
Chamari Athapaththu and Priya Punia come out to open for Supernovae while Shikha Pandey launches at Velocity first.
Harmanpreet Kaur: “We were ready to do both, we were not dependent on the launch. We were champions last year and we will continue to do the same. We will seek to have fun. I want to get more into hitting, hopefully I will hit little and give my team a good start. It was difficult to decide who will play in the XI ”.
Mithali Raj: “We will have a bowl. We have three seamers inside, there will be a little breeze and it will be easier to chase in the second inning. For women’s cricket, it is very important to have this annual basis. It is also a great platform for young cricketers. We saw Shafali do very well for India. “
