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Devine, Gayakwad Star as Gujarat Giants Soar to Second in WPL 2026

Gujarat Giants secured a crucial 45-run victory over UP Warriorz in the Women's Premier League 2026. New Zealand all-rounder Sophie Devine anchored the innings with an unbeaten fifty, setting a target of 153. Left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad, returning to the side, dismantled the UPW batting lineup with figures of 3-16. The win ended GG's three-match losing streak and propelled them from the bottom to second place on the points table.

Key Points: WPL 2026: Gujarat Giants Beat UP Warriorz, Move to 2nd Place

  • Sophie Devine's unbeaten fifty
  • Rajeshwari Gayakwad's 3-16
  • UPW bowled out for 108
  • GG end three-match losing streak
  • Climb to second in points table
3 min read

WPL 2026: Devine, Gayakwad set up GG's comfortable win over UPW, move to second place

Sophie Devine's fifty & Rajeshwari Gayakwad's 3-16 lead Gujarat Giants to a 45-run win over UP Warriorz, ending a 3-match losing streak.

"Rajeshwari Gayakwad marked her return to the playing eleven with a spell of 3-16 - Match Report"

Vadodara, Jan 22

Gujarat Giants climbed from the bottom of the points table to second place in the 2026 Women's Premier League after securing a comfortable 45-run victory over UP Warriorz at the BCA Stadium in Kotambi in Vadodara on Thursday.

New Zealand's veteran all-rounder Sophie Devine starred with an unbeaten 42-ball fifty to take GG to 153/8 on a slow pitch. Left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad marked her return to the playing eleven with a spell of 3-16 while Sophie took two wickets as UPW lost wickets in a heap to be bowled out for 108 in 17.3 overs, as GG ended their three-match losing streak.

UP Warriorz innings began on a false note as Kiran Navgire was stumped for a duck off a wide ball - she missed a flick off Renuka Singh Thakur and ricocheted off keeper Beth Mooney's pads to hit the stumps. Phoebe Litchfield pulled Renuka for four, before Meg Lanning unfurled a late cut for four and drove off Kashvee Gautam for boundaries.

With some extras coming in, Phoebe continued to pick boundaries with some effortless lofting. But Kashvee struck a big blow by casting Meg for 14 - the ball deflected off her thigh pad to hit the stumps, as UPW reached 46/2 at the end of power-play.

But shortly after, UPW suffered twin setbacks in quick succession as Phoebe fell for 32 off 27 balls - attempting a reverse sweep, she picked out short third off Ashleigh Gardner. Soon after, Renuka struck as Harleen Deol, who was nearly trapped lbw by the pacer, tried to loft over long-on but mistimed her stroke, allowing Ashleigh to run in and complete a straightforward catch.

Rajeshwari, coming in place of Tanuja Kanwer, struck a decisive blow in her first over by trapping a sweeping Deepti Sharma lbw for just four. UPW's slide continued as Rajeshwari fired one flat and wide outside off to have Shweta Sehrawat stumped for just three, while having Asha Sobhana Joy holing out in the deep.

From there, it was all GG's way - Sophie Ecclestone's stay ended tamely as she chipped a low full-toss straight back to Sophie Devine, while Shikha Pandey was run out in the pursuit of a second run. GG capped off a dominant performance when Sophie rattled Kranti Gaud's stumps and wrapped up the contest in emphatic fashion.

Brief Scores: Gujarat Giants 153/8 in 20 overs (Sophie Devine 50 not out, Beth Mooney 38; Kranti Gaud 2-18, Sophie Ecclestone 2-22) beat UP Warriorz 108 all out in 17.3 overs (Phoebe Litchfield 32, Chloe Tryon 30 not out; Rajeshwari Gayakwad 3-16, Sophie Devine 2-16) by 45 runs

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Rajeshwari Gayakwad, take a bow! 3-16 on your return is outstanding. This shows the depth we have in Indian women's cricket. The way she removed Deepti Sharma was a masterstroke. UP Warriorz really need to sort out their middle-order batting, it's been a problem all season.
A
Arjun K
While it's a great win for GG, I feel the pitch report and conditions aren't being discussed enough. A "slow pitch" in Vadodara in January... is the BCCI ensuring consistent, sporting wickets across all WPL venues? The low scores suggest it was quite tricky to bat on.
S
Sarah B
As a neutral fan, this was fantastic cricket! Sophie Devine's all-round performance shows why experience matters. Phoebe Litchfield was looking good until that reverse sweep... sometimes young players need to play the situation. WPL 2026 is getting very interesting now!
K
Kavya N
So happy for GG! After three losses, this must be a huge relief. Beth Mooney's 38 was crucial too, building that platform. But honestly, UPW's run-out and that stumping off a wide ball... basic errors cost them dearly. Need better running between wickets.
V
Vikram M
The scorecard tells the story - GG's bowlers were just too good. Renuka Singh getting that early wicket, Kashvee Gautam removing Lanning... everyone contributed. This is what team performance looks like. UPW's overseas players need to step up more consistently.

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