In the 6th T20 match of the WAPL 2026 at ACA Stadium in Mangalagiri, Rayalaseema Xen Stars Women opted to bat first after winning the toss against Vizag Fire Birds Women.
The innings started on a shaky note as captain K Anjali Sarvani struck early for Vizag Fire Birds Women, removing openers Kolathur Subhasri (4 off 5 balls, 1 four, caught by Krishnan) and Vemulapati Setu Sai (2 off 3 balls, caught by Thanmayi). Palnati Rishika Krishnan compounded the early damage by stumping wicketkeeper-batter Harshita Gowda for a duck (0 off 2 balls), leaving the top order in complete disarray.
Rebuilding the innings, Vasavi Pavani and Greeshma Saini Reddy forged a steady partnership to restore stability. Pavani scored a sensible 31 off 26 balls (3 fours) before a sharp combination effort by Setu Sai and Thanmayi resulted in her being run out. Reddy then exploded on the attack, dominant throughout her innings as she smashed an entertaining 70 off just 38 deliveries, featuring 5 fours and 6 huge sixes, before falling caught by Latha off M Hasini Choudhary.
Captain Ellutla Padmaja maintained the aggression in the middle order, hitting a brisk 39 off 32 balls (7 fours) until Krishnan had her caught by Singh. Towards the closing overs, Bareddy Anusha chipped in with 12 off 9 balls (1 four) before being caught by Setu Sai off Sai Thanmayi, while Sajja Lakshmi stayed unbeaten on 7 off 5 balls (1 four) to carry Rayalaseema Xen Stars Women to a strong total of 174-7 in their 20 overs.
For Vizag Fire Birds Women, K Anjali Sarvani (2/22 in 3 overs) and Palnati Rishika Krishnan (2/29 in 4 overs) led the bowling effort. Sai Thanmayi (1/26 in 3 overs) and M Hasini Choudhary (1/14 in 2 overs) took one wicket each, while K Yashaswini Mani Valli (0/12 in 1 over), Pendyala Sarayu (0/21 in 2 overs), Saranya Gadwal (0/40 in 4 overs), and Vurukuti Pushpa Latha (0/9 in 1 over) remained unrewarded.
Chasing a target of 175, Vizag Fire Birds Women suffered an early setback when opener Pendyala Sarayu fell for 2 off 8 balls, caught by Reddy off captain Ellutla Padmaja. Vurukuti Pushpa Latha gave the chase real momentum with a counter-attacking knock, blistering 48 off 26 balls with 8 boundaries before being caught by Padmaja off Kokkiligadda Dhathri. Mayassar Anjum Palla Yuhasini managed 7 off 7 balls (1 four) before Vasavi Pavani dismissed her (caught Padmaja), while Ayesha Singh fell cheaply for 2 off 3 balls, caught by Gowda off Bareddy Anusha.
Wicketkeeper-batter Veera Vidya Sree (12 off 14 balls, 1 four) became Dhathri’s second victim, caught behind by Gowda. Captain K Anjali Sarvani tried to hold the middle order together with 16 off 17 balls, but she was stumped by Gowda off Anusha. M Hasini Choudhary put up a late fight with a punchy 35 off 29 balls (5 fours) before Padmaja had her caught by Dhathri. Unbeaten cameos from Palnati Rishika Krishnan (17 not out off 11 balls, 3 fours) and Sai Thanmayi (8 not out off 5 balls, 1 six) added late flourish, but Vizag Fire Birds Women were restricted to 152-7 in their 20 overs, handing Rayalaseema Xen Stars Women a decisive 22-run win.
For the Xen Stars, skipper Ellutla Padmaja (2/25 in 4 overs), Bareddy Anusha (2/33 in 4 overs), and Kokkiligadda Dhathri (2/26 in 4 overs) each bagged two key wickets. Vasavi Pavani claimed 1/19 in her 2 overs, supported by neat non-wickettaking spells from Avula Sireesha (0/8 in 1 over), Vemulapati Setu Sai (0/21 in 2 overs), and Malakonda Poojitha (0/18 in 3 overs).
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Source: femalecricket.com
