Women’s T20 Challenge: Mithali Raj’s Velocity defeat Harmanpreet Kaur’s Supernovas

Sushma Verma’s fine keeping and crucial 34, combined with her match-winning partnership of 61 with Sune Luus helped Mithali Raj’s Velocity register a thrilling five-wicket win against Harmanpreet Kaur’s Supernovas in the opening game of the Women’s T20 Challenge at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah on Wednesday. Verma played a key role in stabilizing the innings after Velocity’s top order struggled to get off to a good start. The match boiled down to the final over when Velocity needed nine runs off six balls. Shashikala Siriwardene, the former Sri Lanka captain and all-rounder, was tasked in bowling the final over but she conceded two boundaries to Sune Luus as Velocity registered a tight win.

Velocity won the toss and chose to bowl as both Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur included some youngsters in the playing 11s to enhance the talent of the India women’s cricket team. This was the first competitive outing for the India women’s cricket team in eight months. Priya Punia and Sri Lanka veteran Chamari Athathapathu got Supernovas off to a solid start but New Zealand offspinner Leah Kasperek got the first wicket when Priya Punia holed out to mid off.

Jemimah Rodrigues misjudged the length bowled by Ekta Bisht as she missed the sweep to be dismissed for 7. Athathapathu kept going strongly and she slammed a six off Manali Dakshini and Kasperek to near a fifty. Harmanpreet Kaur also looked in good form, smashing Sune Luus for a big six over deep midwicket. However, Supernovas suffered a big blow when Bangladesh’s Jahanara Alam dismissed Athathapathu for 44.

Harmanpreet hit another big six off Dakshini but just when she was looking good on 31, Jahanara Alam got the Supernovas skipper out as the death overs approached. Her dismissal resulted in a massive dip in momentum as only 10 runs were scored in the last three overs as Supernovas ended on 126/8. Supernovas lost five wickets with Ekta Bisht taking 3/22 and Kasperek ending with 2/23.

Verma, Luus key

In response, Velocity started badly when Ayabonga Khaka dismissed Danielle Wyatt in the first over for 0 with a pacy outswinger. Shafali Verma, who had impressed in the ICC World T20 with her aggression, once again showed her class when she blasted a hat-trick of fours off Khaka but the bowler had her revenge as Shafali Verma miscued a full toss to be caught at deep midwicket.

Mithali Raj batted slowly and although Veda Krishnamurthy hit a couple of fours, the asking rate mounted. Mithali’s struggles ended when she slog swept Siriwardene straight to deep midwicket for 7. Veda Krishnamurthy kept the run-chase alive as she found the boundaries but even Sushma Verma initially struggled. When Krishnamurthy departed for 29, Velocity needed 62 off 48 balls.

The equation boiled down to 50 off 30 balls when in the 16^th over, the game changed. Bowled by Poonam Yadav, both Sushma Verma and Sune Luus hit a six each as 14 runs came off the over. In the 17^th over, Verma hit another six off Siriwardene as 11 runs came off the over. Khaka felt the pressure as she conceded some wides and Luus hit a boundary as Velocity needed 15 runs off 12 balls. However, Poonam Yadav bowled a brilliant 19^th over as Sushma Verma was dismissed for 34 with Harmanpreet Kaur taking the catch.

With nine runs needed, Luus hit two boundaries and the game was sealed in thrilling fashion. The second match begins at 3:30 PM IST on Thursday with Velocity taking on Smriti Mandhana’s Trailblazers at Sharjah.