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1<\/span>\/11<\/p>\nWPL: Grace Harris special fires UP Warriorz into playoffs<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n
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<p>Grace Harris (72 off 41) once again set the stage on fire as UP Warriors beat Gujarat Giants in a last-over thriller.<br \/><\/p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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<p>It was the second consecutive time in the tournament Warriorz defeated Giants by three wickets.<br \/><\/p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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<p>With the close win, Warriorz secured a place in the playoffs of the inaugural WPL season.<br \/><\/p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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<p>UP joined Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals in the knockouts while Giants and RCB now stand eliminated.<br \/><\/p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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<p>Grace smashed the Giants attack to smithereens, hitting seven fours and four maximums in the chase of 179.<br \/><\/p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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<p>Grace was involved in 2 crucial partnerships, with countrymate Tahlia McGrath (57) and Sophie Ecclestone (19*).<br \/><br \/><\/p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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<p>While Graces’ stand with McGrath was worth 78 runs, with Sophie it fetched 42, ensuring passage into knockouts.<br \/><\/p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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<p>Warriors were down in the dumps at 39 for 3 but Grace and Tahlia stand led the recovery in the chase.<br \/><br \/><\/p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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<p>Earlier, a 93-run stand between Dayalan Hemalatha (57) and Ashleigh Gardner (60) took Giants to 178 in the do-or-die clash.<br \/><br \/><\/p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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<p>UP Warriorz will now take on Delhi Capitals in their final league match on Tuesday at the Brabourne Stadium.<br \/><\/p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
“Honestly, we did put up a good team, but the results were not in our favour and the season didn’t go our way. We lost key players early on, and it dented our composition. But despite this hiccup, the team stepped up and showed their grit and passion to win,” Mithali said in a press release issued by the Adani-owned franchise.
Talking about her debut stint as a head coach, Haynes said, “This was certainly an exciting and enriching experience for me as head coach for such a wonderful team.
“Undoubtedly, we had our tough moments, but the team put up a riveting performance and showed a lot of character during every match. We all are taking with us many positives and pivotal life-lessons from this inaugural session.”
After posting a challenging total against UPW, the Giants were done in by Grace Harris’s 41-ball 72, which propelled her team into the playoffs.
Haynes added, “As we take a step back and take a moment to pause and reflect at the season, it does hurt to lose out on key players before the end of the first game, and shuffling the deck in terms of playing combinations was not an easy decision, but this allowed every player to showcase their potential and we are happy about it.”
(With inputs from PTI)<\/span><\/div>\n