WMPL: Third straight win for Pune Warriors, Solapur beats Raigad
Asked to bat first, banking on a 53-run stand between Khushi (68, 54b, 8x4s, 1×6) and skipper Anuja Patil (27, 22b, 1×4, 1×6), Pune Warriors put on 151 for 8 in their 20 overs. Although she did not pick up any wickets, Khushi was economical with the ball (0 for 28 in 4 overs) and held her nerves to concede just six runs in the final over, when she had 12 runs to defend.
India vice-captain Smriti came to bat at No. 5, rather than opening the batting, but she found herself in the middle in the fourth over itself. It looked like the game was done and dusted when opener Gautami Naik (15, 12b, 2x4s) perished in the fifth over with the scoreboard reading 26 for 4.
However, Smriti single-handedly brought her team back in the contest with a 61 off 34 balls, a blistering knock laced with six fours and three sixes. However, Ratnagiri’s chase derailed in the 15th over when pacer Chinmayee Borpale (3 for 23 in 4) scalped Smriti’s wicket. Chinmayee was well-supported by skipper Anuja Patil’s 2 for 30.
Earlier in the day, Solapur Smashers’ skipper Tejal Hasabnis dazzled with a half-century (56, 36b, 8x4s, 2x6s) to guide her side to a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Raigad Royals.
Tejal added 73 runs for the second wicket with Ishwari Savkar (33, 38b, 3x4s) before all-rounder Mukta Magre played a handy knock of an unbeaten 34 off 27 deliveries with four boundaries, as Solapur overhauled the target of 130 in 17.2 overs.
Earlier, pacer Sharayu Kulkarni (1 for 17 in 4), offie troika — Mukta Magre (1 for 27 in 4), Ishwari Awsare (1 for 22 in 3), Aachal Agarwal (1 for 14 in 2) and left-arm spinner Laxmidevi Yadav (2 for 13 in 2) played their roles to perfection to restrict Raigad Royals to a below-par total of 129 for 6.
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