Women’s UPL: Nainital SG Pipers beat Mussoorie Thunders to reach final

Dehradun: Nainital SG Pipers showcased their dominance with both bat and ball, to beat Mussoorie Thunders by seven wickets and advanced to the final of the Women's Uttarakhand Premier League, here on Thursday.

With the opening match of the tournament having been washed out by rain, the stakes for Thursday's game were high: the winner would advance directly to the final and Nainital SG Pipers seiezed the opportunity with both hands.

Chasing 97, the Nainital SG Pipers’ openers delivered a composed start for their team. While Manisha Pradhan anchored the innings while her partner Megha Saini adopted an aggressive approach. The duo put on a 40-run partnership before losing the key wicket of Megha Saini, who scored a brisk 26 off 18 balls.

Despite losing a wicket, the Nainital SG Pipers' chase stayed on course as Manisha and Deepika Chand took on the responsibility of guiding their team to victory.

Deepika was dismissed after forming a crucial 33-run partnership with Manisha, scoring 23 runs off 26 balls before Nainital SG Pipers chased down the target with three overs to spare. Manisha remained unbeaten on 31 off 37 balls.

Opting to bat first, Mussoorie Thunders suffered early blows, losing their top three batters within the Powerplay. However, wicketkeeper-batter Nandini Kashyap and captain Mansi Joshi stabilised the innings with a vital partnership.

From 14/3, their 61-run partnership lifted the team to 75/3, before Vaishali Tulera removed Nandini to break the stand. She returned to the pavilion with a top score of 45 from 41 balls.

Nandini's dismissal sparked a collapse, with the Mussoorie Thunders losing wickets at regular intervals as Nainital SG Pipers' bowlers, led by their experienced captain Ekta Bisht, kept the pressure.

Mansi (14 off 31) was the only other batter to reach double figures, as the rest of the lineup struggled to contribute. The Mussoorie Thunders could only post 96/8 in their allotted 20 overs.