Velocity suffered a 16-run loss in the Women’s T20 Challenge, but still qualified for the final based on a better net run rate, eliminating the Trailblazers winners of the tournament in Pune on Thursday. Velocity will face Supernova’s in the top game on Saturday. Invited to bat, Sabbhineni Meghana and Jemimah Rodrigues hit sparkling fifties to help the defending champion rack up a massive 190 for five, the highest total in the tournament’s history. But they had to limit Velocity to 159 to become the second team to qualify for the final, but it wasn’t to be because Kiran Navgire had other ideas.
The 27-year-old all-rounder from Maharashtra lit up the night sky with five fours and as many sixes on her way to her 34-ball 69 to take Velocity over the 150 mark and onto the threshold of the final.
The Trailblazers’ Bowlers, led by Poonam Yadav (2/33) and Rajeshwari Gayakwad (2/44), eventually managed to limit Velocity to 174 for nine to open their account as well, but they would face their heavy defeat of 49 runs regretted against Supernovas in the opening game.
Trailblazers (-0.825), Supernovas (+0.912) and Velocity (-0.022) each finished with two points, but the top two teams made it to the final because they had a better net run rate than the defending champions. Velocity passed the 159 run in the 19th to advance to the final. Navgire, who played her first season in the Dutch big league, showed a solid 191 goal to win. She showed steely temperament as she anchored the chase beautifully, adding 55 from 31 balls with Laura Wolvaardt (17) then holding onto the other end.
The collaboration of Navgire and Wolvaardt helped Velocity pile up the fastest team 100 of the tournament.
Velocity continued to lose wickets under the pressure of the scoreboard, but Navgire sent them off to safety before being stopped over by Richa Ghosh at Shopie Dunkley in the 17th.
Once Navgire took off, it was all over for Velocity.
Previously, Meghana knocked the fill out of the Velocity offense with a 73 off 47 balls en route to a 113 run partnership on 73 balls with Rodrigues (66 off 44 balls) when the Trailblazers scored 190 for five, the highest total in the history of the game. tournament.
Meghana took responsibility for steering the team after Trailblazers skipper Smriti Mandhana (1) lost early.
Meghana, who was dropped at 16 and 63, showed her decisiveness, hitting seven fours and four maximums. Rodrigues also had seven hits on the fence and one six in her 44-ball innings.
Velocity was extremely sloppy on the pitch as their butter-fingered outfielders dropped a whopping four catches – two in Simran Bahadur’s left.
Meghana produced two good hits on the ground from Kate Cross, but the bowler returned to sack Mandhana and Simran took an easy catch.
Cross could have added Meghana’s wicket to her list, but Sneh Rana dropped her on the point.
Rodrigues then hit two fours on Deepti Sharma when Trailblazers scored 47 for 1 in the power play.
Meghana interrupted the charge, sending Radha Yadav for two sixes – an inside out shot over covers and the second over the bowler’s head – en route to her fifty in the 10th over.
Rodrigues also played some beautiful shots, reaching her fifty in the 14th on 30 balls.
Shafali Verma and Ayabonga Khaka threw two decent overs, but Meghana broke the bonds and launched Verma for her third six. Meghana got another reprieve when Khaka dropped her on a back end and she hit a six and four from Rana before Cross grabbed one at long range to finally get off the opener.
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Rodrigues and Matthews added 31 more of the 15 balls before the first was hollowed out to Khaka.
Hayley Matthews (27 out of 15) and Sophia Dunkley (19 out of 8) then ensured the late flowering.
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