Cricket
Women's IPL 2020: Top moments from the season
The third edition of Women’s T20 Challenge enjoyed quite a bit of popularity amongst the fans. From BCCI collaborating with Twitter India to release custom emojis for all the three captains to the Trailblazers denying a three-peat to the Supernovas, the Women’s T20 Challenge was a great success. Here, we look at some of the most memorable moments from the third edition of the mini tournament:
The Sushma-Luus Partnership
Sune Luus (L) and Sushma Verma in action on Wednesday (Source: Sportzpics / IPL / BCCI)
The inaugural match of this year’s Women’s T20 Challenge would be remembered for a brilliant partnership between the wicketkeeper Sushma Verma and all-rounder Sune Luus. The Indo-African pair joined hands at the start of the fourteenth over when Velocity where reeling at 65-4 chasing 127 to win. By the time the pair was separated in the penultimate over of the match they had taken their team to a safe position adding 51 off 35 deliveries.
Sophie Ecclestone’s magic with the ball
Sophie Ecclestone (Source: Women's T20)
If the first match was about Sushma Verma and Sune Luus’ exploits with the bat, the second match of the tournament belonged to the left arm spinner, Sophie Ecclestone. The world number one bowler from England weaved a web around the Velocity batswomen scalping four wickets at an economy of 2.8 in the match. The women in purple never recovered from Sophie’s magic with the ball and crumbled to 47 all out – the lowest ever total in Women’s T20 Challenge.
Chamari Atapattu decimates the Trailblazers
Chamari Atapattu decimates the Trailblazers (Source: BCCI)
A left handed batswomen from Sri Lanka, Chamari Atapattu lit up the stage in the final league stage match between Trailblazers and Supernovas. In a must win game for the Supernovas, the women in blue desperately needed a good start to put the Trailblazers under pressure. Atapattu did just that and some more as she deposited the ball all around her park during her stay at the crease. The southpaw scored at a strike rate of 139.58 in the match and hit four sixes and five boundaries enroute her 48 ball 67.
Radha Yadav shines at the death
Radha Yadav after picking a wicket (Source: BCCI)
Bowling in the death is not an easy task, more so as a spinner. But, the left arm spinner, Radha Yadav, seems to have made it her routine. After bowling her first two overs inside the powerplay, Radha came to complete her quota at the death in the final. The pressure of the final notwithstanding, the youngster came into her own and bagged five wickets in the over number 18th and 20th to derail the Trailblazers’ innings and ended the match with figures of 5-16 in four overs. Earlier, in the final match of the league stage, Radha had defended ten runs in the final over to ensure a safe passage into the final for the Supernovas.
Smriti Mandhana lights up the final
Smriti Mandhana shines in the final (Source: BCCI)
Before the start of the final, all eyes were on the Trailblazers’ skipper Smriti Mandhana. Though she had scored some runs in the league stage matches, she did not look at her best. Cometh the final, the southpaw from Maharashtra decided to go all guns blazing and scored 68 off 49 deliveries with five fours and three sixes at a strike rate of 138.78. The importance of this innings can be understood when you realise that Smriti scored 57.62% of her team’s runs in the all-important final.
Also read: Women’s IPL 2020: Trailblazers crowned champions – Here are the key takeaways
Natthakan Chantham’s brilliance in the field
Natthakan Chantham’s fielding in the final (Source: Screengrab from Hotstar)
This edition of Women’s T20 Challenge will be remembered for the presence of the first ever player from Thailand, Natthakan Chantham. Though Chantham did not get any chances to display her skills either with the bat or ball despite playing all the matches for the Trailblazers, she caught the imagination of fans with some aerobic efforts in the field. If her brilliant save at the boundary in the final took the internet by storm, her catch to dismiss Jemimah Rodrigues in the same game was equally brilliant.
Trailblazers ends Supernovas juggernaut
Trailblazers defeating Supernovas in the final (Source: BCCI)
Supernovas entered this edition of the tournament as the defending champions as well as the favourites to win the trophy and complete a three-peat. But, it was not to be as they ran into a red hot Trailblazers in the final who defended a partly score of 118 to deny the defending champions the bragging rights of a three-peat and brought an end to the two year juggernaut of the Supernovas in Women’s T20 Challenge.
Also read: A look at the best Tweets by the teams in IPL 2020
