Women's Premier League 2023, UP Warriorz vs Gujarat Giants, 3rd Match: Stats at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai

The third match will be played between UP Warriorz vs Gujarat Giants Women at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai on March 5. However, the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) started on March 4, with five teams taking on each other for the title as well. Following the successful auction window, the drama will now unfold on the field, where the Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz strive for glory.

The competition which will consist of 22 games over a three-week period features some of the biggest names in women’s cricket as well. Three players – Smriti Mandhana, Ash Gardner and Nat Sciver-Brunt – will earn fees in excess of $400,000 for their participation in the tournament as well. And, it will be interesting to know how they will perform.

However, Gujarat Giants lost their first game to Mumbai Indians by a huge margin of 143 runs. After the convincing win, Harmanpreet Kaur, Mumbai Indians captain said: “I think it was a brilliant start, it felt like a dream come true. First day and whatever we did it worked well for us. We kept things simpe and clear. Told players to play natural. It is a big day for women’s cricket and we talked about expressing ourselves. I watched the ball nicely and backed myself. Whatever came my way, I backed myself and it went my way. (On the team chat at the halfway mark) When we were batting, we knew it is a very good batting wicket. When the other team was bowling in the right spot, it was not easy to play. So told our bowlers it will not be easy if you bowl in the right spot. And I am happy that every bowler bowled well. It’s a big day and a big victory for us and the way we started, we are really happy.”

Sneh Rana, the stand-in captain of Gujarat Giants said: “It’s just the start, some of the players soak it up early, some will take time (on players getting ready at this level). A learning curve for us and we’ll come back strongly. The physio will be better placed to explain (on Mooney’s injury). I want to stand-up for whatever the team needs, if I do get captaincy, we’ll try and execute our plans better. This was just the first match, we need to keep our heads high, we have players who have done well at the domestic level and we’ll certainly look to comeback stronger tomorrow.”

READ MORE: ‘I’m not going to be MS Dhoni as a captain’ – Faf du Plessis

Venue

STATS – T20