WPL 2024: Beth Mooney, Laura Wolvaardt guide Gujarat Giants to first win of season

The Gujarat Giants secured their first win of the 2024 Women’s Premier League season on Wednesday after beating the Royal Challengers Bangalore by 19 runs at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

Captain Beth Mooney (85 not out) and fellow opening batter Laura Wolvaardt (76) brushed off their poor form to stitch together a 140-run partnership – the second-highest in the tournament’s history – to take the giants to 199/5.

Chasing a mammoth 200, the Royal Challengers Bangalore could only muster 180/8 to dent their hopes of securing a top-three finish. The likes of Smriti Mandhana (24), Ellyse Perry (24), Sophie Devine (23) and Richa Ghosh (30) got off to good starts but could not stick around to guide the team home.

Bangalore needed to get runs on the board quickly in the powerplay overs but some good bowling by the Giants bowlers put Bangalore on the back-foot.

#WPL2024 #GGvRCB

Gujarat Giants win!

Beth Mooney and Co finally secure a win this season after beating the Royal Challengers Bangalore by 19 runs!

GG: 199/5 (20 overs)
RCB: 180/8 (20 overs)

???? Jio Cinemahttps://t.co/5LuSkehMB1 pic.twitter.com/JSZCM5PrqU— The Field (@thefield_in) March 6, 2024

Ashleigh Gardner and Meghana Singh were superb in the first two overs, giving away just seven runs. Mandhana went after Tanuja Kanwar in the next over, smacking 17 runs including two huge sixes.

However, Gardner...

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