Vadodara, Jan 22 (NationPress) The Gujarat Giants (GG) surged from the bottom of the points standings to secure the second position in the 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL) with a convincing 45-run win against UP Warriorz (UPW) at the BCA Stadium in Kotambi, Vadodara, on Thursday.

New Zealand's experienced all-rounder Sophie Devine played a pivotal role, scoring an unbeaten fifty off 42 balls, propelling GG to a total of 153/8 on a sluggish pitch. The left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad made a notable return, delivering an impressive spell of 3-16, while Sophie also contributed with two wickets as UPW crumbled for just 108 runs in 17.3 overs, thus breaking their three-match losing streak.

The UP Warriorz innings got off to a rocky start as Kiran Navgire was stumped for a duck after misjudging a wide delivery from Renuka Singh Thakur, which ricocheted off keeper Beth Mooney's pads to hit the stumps. Phoebe Litchfield managed to pull Renuka for a boundary, and Meg Lanning showcased her skills with a late cut and a drive for consecutive fours.

Despite some extras, Phoebe kept finding the boundary with effortless lofted shots. However, Kashvee dealt a significant blow by dismissing Meg for 14, with the ball deflecting off her thigh pad to hit the stumps, leaving UPW at 46/2 at the end of the power-play.

Shortly after, UPW faced two critical setbacks; Phoebe was out for 32 off 27 balls attempting a reverse sweep that found short third off Ashleigh Gardner. Then, Harleen Deol, nearly trapped lbw by Renuka, attempted a lofted shot over long-on but misjudged, allowing Ashleigh to take an easy catch.

Rajeshwari, who replaced Tanuja Kanwer, struck decisively in her first over by trapping Deepti Sharma lbw for just four runs. The downfall continued as Rajeshwari's flat delivery outside off led to Shweta Sehrawat being stumped for three, and Asha Sobhana Joy was caught in the deep.

From that point on, it was all in favor of GG. Sophie Ecclestone ended her innings meekly, chipping a low full-toss back to Sophie Devine, while Shikha Pandey was run out in pursuit of a second run. GG wrapped up the match in style as Sophie knocked over Kranti Gaud’s stumps, sealing a dominant performance.

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) defeated 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.