Supernovas 146 for 6 (Atapattu 67, Kaur 31, Punia 30, Goswami 1-17) beat Trailblazers (Sharma 43*, Mandhana 33, Radha 2-30, Selman 2-31) by two runs
A nerveless Radha Yadav defended nine runs off the last over in a must-win match for the Supernovas against the Trailblazers, setting up a final clash against the same opposition on November 9 in Sharjah. After giving up six runs off the first four balls, she cleverly pulled her length back and shifted her line wider to have an advancing Harleen Deol caught by Anuja Patil at extra-cover. Then, with three to protect off the final ball, Yadav darted an arm ball into Sophie Ecclestone’s pad for a dot to give the Supernovas a chance to defend their title on Monday.
When Smriti Mandhana was dismissed for 33 for 40 balls, the Trailblazers needed 64 from 45 with seven wickets in hand. Then, when Yadav had D Hemalatha nicking off for four, they needed 56 off 30 balls. Deepti Sharma and Deol hit four fours in a row in a blistering 52-run partnership, but Yadav’s variations under pressure denied them.
Earlier in the evening, opener Chamari Atapattu had taken off for the Supernovas, scoring 67 off 48 balls. She claimed 29 of the 50 runs the Supernovas made in the powerplay and then converted it into a 37-ball half-century. Her captain Harmanpreet Kaur overcame a tepid start to further lift the Supernovas to 146, which proved enough in the end.
Atapattu stamps her authority
While Priya Punia struggled to find the gaps in the early exchanges, Atapattu kept nailing sweeps and lofts. She lined up Sharma’s loopy offbreaks, taking her for 21 off a mere nine balls. Ever after the fielding restrictions were relaxed, Atapattu fearlessly hit the ball over the top. Despite the presence of three leg-side outfielders, she slog-swept Rajeshwari Gayakwad over square leg for six. It was quite fitting that she brought up her fifty with another sweep, off Deol.
Atapattu’s assault allowed Punia some breathing space, but she, too, later showed that she could execute the sweep, dragging Ecclestone to the midwicket boundary. It needed an athletic running catch from Sharma to remove Punia and cut short the opening stand at 89. Soon after, Atapattu and Jemimah Rodrigues fell to leave their side at 122 for 3.
More to follow…