UP Warriorz withstand Amanjot-Kerr assault to down MI again

UP Warriorz' upward curve in WPL 2026 continues to surge, once again at the cost of Mumbai Indians. The two-time champions have now given them two Ws after the Warriors kicked off the season with a string of three Ls. Warriorz players spent much of the sultry afternoon sat on cushy chairs and watching Meg Lanning put out a batting clinic in the company of Phoebe Litchfield. Their evening too started in fine fashion, until they were hit by a genuinely nervy period where Amanjot Kaur and Amelia Kerr threatened to pull off a late heist.

The victory margin - 22 runs - doesn't exactly scream a close finish but UP Warriorz would perhaps argue it shouldn't even have got to that after the way their bowlers started their defence of 187/8. MI were onto their fourth opening pair in five games with Hayley Mathews and S Sajana but still couldn't add early impetus to their batting. In fact, both were sent packing in the space of four deliveries by Kranti Goud and Sophie Ecclestone.

Harmanpreet Kaur and Nat Sciver-Brunt tried to steady the stumbling ship, dragging the team to 38/2 in the PowerPlay. But MI lost their way in the middle, falling to 62/4 at the halfway stage. The curtains had started to roll down on MI when in the 11th over, Harmanpreet pulled a Chloe Tyron delivery straight to Ecclestone at deep mid-wicket.

It took a manic four-over phase for MI hopefuls to find their voice again, as Amanjot and Kerr laid into Tryon (11 runs), Asha Sobhana (8 runs), Ecclestone (14 runs), and Deepti Sharma (14 runs), dragging their team to 125/5 in 16 overs when the timeout arrived.

The ask was still steep but at 63 off 24 deliveries, the UP Warriorz were now kept on their toes. The carnage extended for two more overs as Shikha Pandey was hit for two fours in a 12-run over and Ecclestone conceded 14 more. In the penultimate over, though, Shikha ended the partnership when she took a sharp return catch off a full toss to send Amanjot back for a fighting 41 off 24. Just three runs from that over meant MI were left to chase 34 off the last six balls, which was a bridge too far even as Kerr finished undefeated on 49 off 28.

Earlier in the evening, Kiran Navgire made another blink-and-miss appearance but the Warriorz were buoyed by the second-wicket stand worth 124 runs by Lanning and Litchfield - only the third century partnership for the team. Navgire walked off - bowled by Nicola Carey for a first-ball duck in the opening over and the two Aussie batters took charge immediately.

They scored 12 each off the next two overs from Carey and capped off the PowerPlay with a 14-run over against Hayley Mathews to post UP Warriorz' best PowerPlay score - 56/1. Lanning was the lead aggressor through this period, but Litchfield stepped up in the middle overs. After a watchful start - getting 17 off the first 18 balls she faced, Litchfield stepped in the middle-phase when she went after Amanjot and Kerr. She eventually fell to Amanjot in the 13th over, but not before smashing 61 off 37 - with 43 coming off the last 20 deliveries she faced. Lanning fell in the next over, in a blaze of glory, having smashed three fours in a Hayley Mathews over and going for a big fourth.

MI clawed back from here to an extent with the ball, picking five wickes in the last six overs. They still conceded 49 runs there, which proved a touch too steep for their batters to surmount.

Brief Scores: UP Warriorz 187/8 in 20 overs (Meg Lanning 70, Phoebe Litchfield 61; Amelia Kerr 3-28, Nat Sciver-Brunt 2-22) beat MI 165/6 in 20 overs (Amelia Kerr 49*, Amanjot Kaur 41; Shikha Pandey 2-30) by 22 runs