UP Warriorz qualified for the Women’s Premier League play-offs with a three-wicket win over Gujarat Giants.
Needing seven from the last over, England spinner Sophie Ecclestone hit the penultimate ball for four to secure a tense win in Mumbai.
Chasing 179 to win, Warriorz slipped to 39-3 but were rescued by Grace Harris’ magnificent 72 from 41 balls.
Harris fell in the 19th over but Ecclestone calmly steered her side to victory with 19 not out from 13 balls.
Warriorz join Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals in the top three, though the final places are yet to be decided, with the last group games played on Tuesday.
The top-placed side will progress straight to Sunday’s final, with the second and third-placed teams meeting in an eliminator on Friday.
Gujarat squandered their promising position as Harris and fellow Australian Tahlia McGrath, who was dropped on nine, pummelled a fourth-wicket partnership of 78.
McGrath fell to Aussie team-mate Ash Gardner for 57 in the 14th over, but Harris took control of the chase and smashed seven fours and four sixes in a brutal display at the Brabourne Stadium.
Earlier, Gardner had top-scored with 60 from 39 balls in Gujarat’s 178-6, and was supported by Dayalan Hemalatha’s 57 from 33.
Leg-spinner Parshavi Chopra took 2-29 while Ecclestone’s solo scalp took her to the top of the wicket-taking charts with 13 wickets from seven matches.
Mumbai miss chance to secure final spot
In Monday’s second game, Mumbai Indians slumped to their second successive defeat as they lost to Delhi Capitals by nine wickets.
The victory means Delhi overtake Mumbai at the top of the table on net run-rate after they chased 109 in just nine overs.
A win would have taken Mumbai straight through to the final, but the spot remains up for grabs with both teams playing their final group games on Tuesday.
A dominant bowling performance from Delhi saw Mumbai stutter to 109-8 from their 20 overs.
Mumbai slipped to 21-4, with Marizanne Kapp taking two wickets in two balls in the third over, including England all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt for a golden duck.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur made 23 and Pooja Vastrakar 26 as Mumbai attempted to scrape to a reasonable total, backed up by England’s Issy Wong, who also made 23.
Delhi started rapidly in reply with Shafali Verma and Meg Lanning adding an opening stand of 56 in just 4.3 overs.
England batter Alice Capsey then smashed an unbeaten 38 from 17 balls as Delhi reached their target in just nine overs.
Lanning finished on 32 not out, but it was Capsey who led the charge with five sixes in her knock, including three from the ninth over to earn the win in style.
Source – BBC Sport
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