Sunday, May 29, 2022

Women's T20 Challenge 2022: Supernovas clinch hat-trick of titles as players make a statement

Right at the toss, both the captains made it very clear how they were approaching the Women's T20 Challenge 2022 final. Velocity's Deepti Sharma won the toss and opted to bowl first.

"There is a bit of freedom for the bowlers early on, and that's why we wanted to chase. Chasing is the preferred option as well," she declared as Velocity chased their first title.

Women’s T20 Challenge, Supernovas

Harmanpreet Kaur, on the other hand, had no issues as two-time champions Supernovas "were looking to bat first" in any case as "chasing is difficult" at the MCA Stadium in Pune.

Deepti didn't want to fiddle with the momentum they had. Velocity had done well in the two matches of the round-robin stage, chasing in both the games. They won against Supernovas and gave Trailblazers a tough fight chasing a record target of 191.

Harmnapreet and her Supernovas had their strategy revolving around the stats and numbers. And it's this preparation that eventually proved pivotal as Supernovas registered a thrilling four-run win over Velocity to make it a hat-trick of Women's T20 Challenge titles.

Asked to bat first, Deandra Dottin and Priya Punia gave a steady start to their team but the panache was missing. Punia struggled to rotate strike and shots weren't coming off her bat as smoothly as she would have liked. With only 31 coming from the first five overs, something has to give. So the dangerous Dottin decided to cut loose and hit Sneh Rana for two back-to-back sixes; Supernovas were off and running.

When Punia got out in the 10th over with 73 on the board, Harmanpreet made a critical call of jumping the queue to bat at No 3. She usually bats at No 4. And the move produced desired results, as the duo of Dottin and Harmanpreet put up 58 together off just 36 balls. The partnership was dominated by the slog sweeps from Harmanpreet's bat. 31 runs of the partnership came in just two overs of Radha Yadav. Whether the decision to bowl first was right or wrong is debatable but there's no doubt that Deepti's decision to make Radha bowl from the end which had the smallest boundary at deep mid-wicket and also with the wind favouring the batter was a suicidal call.

Deepti broke the partnership off her own bowling at the end of the 15th over but by then the damage was done. Supernovas only added 34 more runs in the last five overs and lost five wickets but by the end, they had a solid total of 165/7.

Supernovas excel with bowling plans

Velocity had a great start. 17 came from the first over but the tables were turned quickly. Mansi Joshi, who bowled the first over, was wayward but had the right idea. Supernovas' plan was to pepper the batters with short stuff, the line was to be into the body. The strategy was not to give room and make the batters take risks. Mansi's lack of execution proved costly but Dottin made course correction in the third over and reaped the reward. Shafali Verma attempted a cut shot off a back of a length ball and got caught behind off Dottin. Soon the world No 1 white-ball bowler Sophie Ecclestone removed Bhatia.

This was another moment where Velocity made a terrible call of sending in Natthakan Chantham and inexperienced Kiran Navgire ahead of proven Wolvaardt or experienced Deepti. Navgire had come out early also against Trailblazers but it was a different scenario. Chasing 191, Velocity needed to maintain a high tempo of cricket all throughout. Here in the final, after two early wickets, they were in need of a calm head and skillful bat.

In lack of both, Supernovas revelled as they sent both batters back soon to reduce Velocity to 58/4. Under the pressure to up the ante after a disastrous start, Deepti got caught in the deep leaving her side reeling at 64/5.

Wolvaardt, who scored a truckload of runs at the recent ODI World Cup, eventually brought down the equation to 17 off the last over with young Simran Bhadur pyrotechnics playing its part but eventually were undone by Ecclestone in the last over who brought her A game as she successfully defended the total.

Velocity had no right to take the game to the last ball but they did so because of the class of Wolvaardt, who made 65 not out off 40. One only wonders what would have been the case had Supernovas sent her early to bat or if the earlier calls were different than what they were. Maybe Deepti's inexperience as a captain got to her or maybe the pressure of the final had its role to play.

Players make a statement

Nonetheless, the tournament was a massive success from the point of entertainment value. Two of the four matches had the viewers on the edge of their seats for pretty much the whole time. The numbers in the stands rose as the tournament progressed. The tickets were sold in the range of Rs 100-300 and while the total collection may not add a lot to BCCI's coffer, one hopes it is just the start of better marketing and distribution of the women's game.

For the naysayers and believers of the fact that the women's game lacks firepower, the 2022 edition of the tournament was a befitting reply. With every match, batting records tumbled. In the very first match, Supernovas broke the record for the highest team total in the tournament's history by scoring 163. In the second match, Velocity scored 151 batting second to set the record for the highest successful chase. In the third game, Trailblazers raised the bar higher by scoring 190 and Velocity made 174 in reply.

Kiran Navgire made the fastest fifty of the tournament this time around in just 25 balls. She broke the record of Shafali who had set it just the other day in 30 balls. And these are just a few of many batting records that were made in just four matches.

The Indian players largely overshadowed their overseas counterparts and gave a glimpse of the power they pack. The fringe and uncapped players highlighted the depth of the domestic structure as Sabbhineni Meghana made a fifty on debut for Trailblazers, Punia and Harleen Deol had decent knocks, Simran scored a blazing 20 not out off 10 under pressure in the final, Navgire got a fifty on batting debut.

With Indian players taking the centrestage, the Women's T20 Challenge got a fitting farewell. BCCI is expected to launch the Women's IPL next year. And one can only expect more thrill and excitement when the girls get back onto the pitch.

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