Velocity defeated Supernovas by five wickets in the first match of the WT20 Challenge in Sharjah yesterday.

Velocity skipper Mithali Raj won the toss and opted to bowl. Supernovas openers Priya Punia and Chamari Athapaththu stitched a steady partnership of 30 runs in 5.2 overs, before the former was dismissed by New Zealand pacer Leigh Kasperek. 

New batswoman Jemimah Rodrigues failed to make much of an impact, departing for just seven runs off eight deliveries. Arrival of skipper Harmanpreet Kaur helped bring some stability to the innings, with the batswoman stitching a partnership of 47 runs alongside Athapaththu.

However, the latter’s dismissal proved to be a massive blow for the Supernovas. Shashikala Siriwardene, the new player in stitched a brief partnership of 22 runs alongside Kaur which seemed vital in the context of the game. However, Kaur’s crucial dismissal threw the innings into a state of chaos with the rest of the batswomen unable to make much of an impact.

The Supernovas finished their innings with a score of 126 runs for the loss of eight wickets. 

The Velocity chase started off on a poor note but later Sushma Verma and Sune Luus starred with the bat as Velocity scored 129/5 grabbing the win.

BRIEF SCORES

Velocity: 129/5 (Sune Luus 37*, Sushma Verma 34; Ayabonga Khaka 2/27) beat Supernovas: 126/8 (Chamari Athapaththu 44, Harmanpreet Kaur 31; Ekta Bisht 3/22) by five wickets.

WOMEN’S T20 CHALLENGE SCHEDULE

Today’s Match (NOV. 5)

Velocity Vs Trailblazers – Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah, 3.30 pm (IST)

Points Table

Teams Played Won Lost Points NRR

Mumbai Indians (MI) 14 9 5 18 +1.296

Delhi Capitals (DC) 14 8 6 16 -0.109

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) 14 7 7 14 +0.608

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) 14 7 7 14 -0.172

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) 14 7 7 14 -0.214

Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) 14 6 8 12 -0.162

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) 14 6 8 12 -0.455Rajasthan Royals (RR) 14 6 8 12 -0.569