Women's T20 Trophy: Railways clinch title beating Maharashtra by seven wickets

Maharashtra skipper Smriti Mandhana's 84 went in vain as Railways defeated Maharashtra by seven wickets to win the senior women's T20 tournament on Wednesday.

Electing to bat, Maharashtra rode on Mandhana's 84 off just 56 balls to post a challenging 160 for four. In reply, opener S Meghana (52) and D Hemalatha (65) slammed half centuries as Railways chased down the target with 11 balls to spare.

Left-handed batter Mandhana toyed with the Railways attack as she hammered 11 boundaries and three maximums and forged a 74-run stand with opener Shivali Shinde, who chipped in a 30-run knock. Mandhana anchored the innings even as the other batters faltered.

For Railways off-spinner Swagatika Rath was the pick of bowlers as she returned with figures of 3 for 33, while skipper Sneh Rana snapped one wicket. Chasing 161, Railways opener S Meghana pummelled the Maharashtra attack into submission with a 32-ball 52, striking nine boundaries.

One-down D Hemalatha, whose knock was studded with nine boundaries and two maximums, took the game deep. She was dismissed in the 17th over, but by then the damage had been done. K Anjali Sarvani (26 not out) and Sneh Rana (6 not out) then ensured that there were no further hiccups as Railways chased the target with ease.