Chasing Trailbrazers’ 190/5, Velocity could only manage 174/9 in 20 overs despitꦦe Kiran Navgire’s 69. Velocity face Supernovas in final.
Velocity suffered♋ a 16-run defeat in the Women's T20 Challenge 2022 but still qualified for the final on the basis of a better net run rate, knocking out victors Trailblazers from the tournament on Thursday. Velocity will face Supernovas in the summit clash on Saturday.
Invited to bat, Sabbhineni 💎Meghana and Jemimah Rodrigues smashed scintillating fifties to help the defending champions post a huge 190 for five, the𝐆 highest total in the history of the tournament.
But they needed to restrict Velocity to 159 to become the second team to qualify for the ♋final but itಞ was not to be as Kiran Navgire had other ideas.
The 27-year-old all-rounder fro🍸m Maharashtra lit up the night sky with five fours and as many sixes on way to her 34-ball 69 to take Velocity across the 150-mark and on the doorstep of the final.
The Trailblazers bowlers, led by Poonam Yadav (2/33) and Rajeshwari Gayakwad (2/44), eventuaꦑlly managed to restrict Velocity to 174 for nine to also open their account but they would rue their 🎃heavy 49-run defeat to Supernovas in the opening match.
Trailblazers (-0.825), Supernovas (+0.912) and Velocity (-0.022) ended with two points each but the top two teams made it to the final as they had better 💖net run rate than the defending champions. Velocity crossed the 159-run mark in the 19th over to make it through to the final.
Set a stiff target of 191 to win, Navgire, playing her first season in the big league, showed steely temperament as she anchored the chase bea💧utifully, adding 55 off 31 balls with Laura Wolvaardt (17) and then held on to the oth😼er end.
Navgire and Wolvaardt's p🀅artnership helped Velocity pile up the fastest team hundred of the tournament. Velocity kept losing wickets under scoreboard pressure but Navgire steered them to safety before being stumped by Richa Ghos📖h off Shopie Dunkley in the 17th over.
Once Navgire departed, it 🅠was all over for Velocity.
Earlier, Meghana knocked the stuffing out of Velocity attack with a 73 off 47 balls en route to a 1🎃13-run p🍃artnership off 73 balls with Rodrigues (66 off 44 balls) as Trailblazers posted 190 for five, the highest total in the history of the tournament.
Meghana took the responsibility to steer the team after Trailblazers lost skipper Smriti Mandhana (1) early. Meghana, who was dropped at 16 and 63, displayed her big-hitting skills, clobbering se꧃ven fours and four maximums. Rodrigues too had seven hits to the fence and one six in her 44-ball innings.
Velocity was extremely slopp🌱y on the field as their butterfingered fielders dropped as many as four catches -- two in Simran Bahadur's over. Meghana produced two good hits down the ground off Kate Cross but the b🐬owler returned to dismiss Mandhana with Simran taking an easy catch.
Cross💃 could have added Meghana's wicket to her list but Sneh Rana dropped her at the point. Rodrigues then slammed two f🍎ours off Deepti Sharma as Trailblazers scored 47 for 1 in the powerplay.
Meghana took apart the attack, dispatching Radha Yadav for two sixes -- one an inside out shot over covers and the second one over the bowꦆler's head -- en route to her fifty in the 10th over. Rodrigues too played some exquisite shots and reached her⛦ fifty in the 14th over off 30 balls.
Shafali Verma and Ayabonga Khaka bowle♑d two decent overs but Meghana broke the shackles, launching Verma over long off 𒀰for her third six.
Meghana got another reprieve when Khaka dropped herꦏ at backward point and she slammed a six and four off Rana before Cross held on to one at long-off to finally get rid off the opener. Rodrigues and Matthews added another 31 off 15 balls before the former was holed out to Khaka.
Hayley Matthews (27 off 15) and Sophia D🀅unkley (19 off 8) then provide𒉰d the late flourish.