Chinelle Henry’s late display, uncapped bowler Kranti Goud’s stunning four-wicket performance, and Grace Harris’ impressive last-over hat-trick led UP Warriorz to an outstanding win over Delhi Capitals in WPL 2025. After two unsuccessful attempts, the team finally secured their first victory of the season. In the initial match-up of the tournament, Warriorz successfully defended a total of 177 by dismissing Capitals for 144, resulting in a 33-run triumph. They have also become the only team to successfully defend a target in this edition.
The Chinnaswamy Stadium was brought to life towards the end of the first innings, all thanks to Henry’s impressive fireworks. Despite being at 89 for 6, she managed to turn things around for Warriorz with her entertaining 23-ball performance. This helped them avoid a below-par total and secure a victory instead. With a strike rate of 269.56, Henry hit eight sixes and two fours in her incredible knock, making it the joint-fastest fifty in WPL history achieved in just 18 balls.
During the match, Jemimah Rodrigues’s score of 56 provided steady support, but unfortunately, Capitals’ performance declined from 97 for 3 to 111 for 7 and they were unable to bounce back. While Niki Prasad and Shikha Pandey made valuable contributions towards the end, it was not sufficient as Goud and Harris combined to take eight wickets and defeat the Capitals.
The spell of Goud’s dream
In her first WPL season, Goud, aged 21, only bowled four overs in the initial two matches. Unfortunately, these games resulted in losses for Warriorz and she conceded a total of 47 runs. Nevertheless, Deepti Sharma showed faith in her and continued to play her.
Goud wasted no time getting back on her feet and proved her worth in the team’s debut game in Bengaluru this season. While she did give up a four on the first ball to Meg Lanning, she quickly regrouped and delivered a sharp ball that sent the Capitals’ captain packing.
Keeping her opponents at bay, she only allowed two runs in the seventh over and then dominated with a short delivery that dismissed Shafali Verma in the following over. By the time Goud wrapped up her three overs, she had taken two wickets while conceding just 16 runs. With 126 runs still needed from 66 balls, her impressive performance gave the team a much-needed boost.
As she returned for her last over, Capitals were left with a chase of 76 off 36, despite Rodrigues’ strong performance. Unfortunately, Goud was able to dismiss both Jess Jonassen by catching and bowling, as well as Rodrigues with an extra cover catch, all in the same over. This brought Capitals’ score to 111 for 6.
The heroic deed performed by Henry in saving the drowning child
In the first match, Deepti was placed at No. 4 and scored 39 runs off 27 balls. In the following two games against Capitals, she took on the role of No. 3 and recorded a score of seven runs in Lucknow and 13 runs in Bengaluru, both at a run-a-ball pace. It will be worth monitoring if this is the right position for her, especially when the middle order is struggling to perform.
During the previous WPL, she played a total of eight innings and scored 295 runs with a strike rate of 136.67. One of those innings saw her coming in at No. 3 and scoring 59 runs. However, for most of her appearances, she batted in the middle order, where she achieved an unbeaten streak four out of five times and hit 218 runs with two fifties at an impressive strike rate of 143.42.
One of the main issues for Warriorz in this WPL has been the lack of contribution from players such as Tahlia McGrath and Harris in the middle order. As a result, Henry is often left with a heavy workload towards the end of the innings. However, she proved her abilities in the last game by scoring an impressive unbeaten 33 off just 15 balls to help Warriorz reach a total of 166.
During the match, Henry joined Warriorz at No. 8 in the 14th over when their score was 89 for 6. She quickly took charge by hitting two sixes off Arundhati Reddy, relieving some of the tension. In the 17th over, she continued her onslaught against Pandey with a four and two more sixes. She maintained her powerful strikes until she was eventually dismissed by Jonassen on the last delivery of the innings.
In the middle phase of this WPL season, Warriorz has struggled as the poorest team, with a total of 15 wickets lost in three games. However, on this particular occasion, Henry’s efforts helped them make a comeback.
While Rodrigues gave his all on the ice, the Capitals struggled to adjust to their opponents.
As the second innings commenced, the ball was continuously swerving and snipping, causing difficulties for players such as Shafali and Lanning. Despite some initial struggles in the field by Warriorz, including missed catches by Saima Thakor and wicketkeeper Uma Chetry, Goud managed to turn things around. However, apart from Rodrigues, none of the top seven players in Capitals were able to adjust to the Bengaluru conditions.
While Rodrigues struggled in the beginning, taking 19 balls to score 23 runs, she eventually found her rhythm and gained confidence. This resulted in her hitting aesthetically pleasing boundaries to the cover region. She quickly reached her first fifty of the season, achieving it in just 30 balls. Despite her eight fours and one six giving the Capitals hope, their middle order ultimately caused them to lose control of the game.
Harris secures a hat-trick.
Describing herself, Harris is a versatile player who excels at batting. However, she has not yet made a significant impact in this WPL tournament, only scoring 18 runs across three games. Nevertheless, her bowling skills have been impressive with two wickets taken in her first two matches and an added success on Saturday. In the 14th over of the chase, she dismissed Annabel Sutherland, the previous match’s Player of the Match for the Capitals team.
At the end of the game, with 34 runs required for victory, Harris took out Prasad, Reddy, and Minnu Mani one after the other, making her the third player in the WPL to achieve a hat-trick, joining Deepti and Issy Wong.
