WPL 2024: Shabnam Shakil’s spell binds UP Warriorz as Gujarat Giants pick up gripping win

The Gujarat Giants picked up a close eight-run win over the UP Warriorz on Monday in the 2024 Women’s Premier League at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, denting their opponent’s chances of making it to the playoffs.

Giants captain Beth Mooney won the toss and played an instrumental knock in her team finishing with a score of 152/8 at the end of 20 overs. Eventually, they managed to defend the total by restricting the Warriorz to 144/5.

The 153-run target could have been difficult to defend given the power and abilities in the Warriorz’s lineup. But the Giants found a perfect start in the unlikeliest of sources.

Mooney, after the match, talked about how the team decided to give 16-year-old Shabnam Shakil the new ball since the opposition may not know much about her. The move paid off as the teenager, playing in only her third WPL match, picked up three important wickets and finished with figures of 3/11 – the most economical figures for an Indian bowler in the tournament’s history.

Shakil, who was a part of the Indian team that won the inaugural ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup last year, also registered a WPL record-equalling 19 dot balls – sharing the honours with Hayley Matthews,...

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