The electric atmosphere at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Dehradun witnessed a high-octane thriller in the Women’s Uttarakhand Premier League (WUPL) 2026 as Bageshwar Aerial Women clinched a dramatic 3-wicket victory over Pithoragarh Hurricanes Women in the final over.
Setting the stage in the first innings, Pithoragarh Hurricanes Women got off to a steady start through openers Ananya Mehra and Gayatri Arya. The duo stitched together a solid 69-run opening stand, expertly navigating the powerplay and laying a foundation for their side. Ananya Mehra contributed a focused 26 off 25 balls (featuring 5 boundaries) before falling to Kanika Nagi off Rita’s bowling.
Gayatri Arya kept up the momentum, top-scoring for the Hurricanes with a sharp 41 off 38 deliveries (including 4 fours and 1 six) before being trapped by Lavdhi Panthari. Following the opening break, Jyoti Giri joined the crease and held one end firm with a measured 20 off 21 balls (1 four, 1 six) until she was dismissed by a disciplined effort from Lavdhi Panthari.
As the middle overs unfolded, Bageshwar’s bowling unit fought back with exemplary control. Kanika Nagi produced a stellar, frugal spell of 1 for 12 in her 4 overs (including a maiden), while Rita kept the pressure on with figures of 1 for 24 in her 4 overs. Lavdhi Panthari made key breakthroughs, finishing with 2 for 15 in 3 overs, while Deveshi offered tight support with 0 for 14 off 3 overs.
Despite Prema Rawat being expensive (0/46 in 4 overs) and Ritika Supyal giving away 24 runs in 2 overs, Ankita Shah stood tall towards the death, remaining unbeaten on 20 off 19 balls. Cameos from Karuna Shety (5 off 7) and Manna Choudhary (5 off 5) alongside Shagun Choudhary’s unbeaten 14 off 8 balls (3 boundaries) carried the Hurricanes to a competitive total of 135/5 in their allotted 20 overs.
Chasing 136 for victory, Bageshwar Aerial Women launched an explosive counter-attack right from the start. Impact player Megha Saini smashed a quickfire 18 off just 7 balls (3 fours, 1 six) before falling to Manna Choudhary. Middle-order batter Nandhini Kaushik anchored the initial phase with a composed 41 off 35 balls (7 fours), partnering with Sona Badola to dismantle the opposition’s plans.
Sona Badola was the star of the chase, bringing up a sensational half-century with 57 off 50 balls, punctuated by 9 boundaries, putting Bageshwar firmly in control. However, Pithoragarh Hurricanes Women refused to back down, triggering a sensational late-order collapse. Manna Choudhary delivered a game-changing spell, tearing through the batting line-up to finish with outstanding figures of 4 for 11 in 3 overs.
She removed Prema Rawat (2 off 3), Kanika Nagi (0 off 2), and Deveshi (0 off 2) in rapid succession, while Isha Choudhary accounted for Ninjala Mehra for a duck, ending with 1 for 23 off 3 overs. Karuna Shety (0/33 in 4 overs), Ankita Shah (0/16 in 2 overs), Sabhya Negi (0/18 in 3.1 overs), and Ananya Mehra (0/28 in 4 overs) bowled tidy spells to keep the match on a knife-edge.
With Bageshwar suddenly in trouble, Aradhana Chauhan showed nerves of steel, remaining undefeated on 12 off 15 balls. Alongside Ritika Supyal (0* off 0), Chauhan held her composure in the tense penultimate over to squeeze Bageshwar Aerial Women past the finish line, hitting 136/7 in 19.1 overs to seal a thrilling 3-wicket win.
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Source: femalecricket.com
