UP Warriorz beat Gujarat Giants in Match 17 of the TATA WPL at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.
Grace Harris (72 off 41 balls) and Tahlia McGrath's (57 off 38 balls) fifties, coupled with all-round heroics from Sophie Ecclestone (19 off 13 and 1/27) helped UPW beat GG by three wickets and qualify for the Play-offs.
Defending 178, Gujarat Giants got off to a good start. Monica Patel struck early as she had the big wicket of Alyssa Healy in the second over. The Australian batter had hit her for two fours in the over but Patel bounced back hard to have her caught at deep mid-wicket.
Garth then struck in the next over as she had Kiran Navgire caught at mid-wicket off a short ball.
Tahlia McGrath then breathed some momentum with three fours, however, she lost opener Devika Vaidya at the other end as she was caught behind off Tanuja Kanwar for 7.
McGrath though continued to attack as she welcomed Sneh Rana into the attack with three fours in the last over of the Powerplay.
UPW reached 52/3 at the end of the Powerplay.
Grace Harris then got into the groove with two fours off Monica Patel before McGrath went after Rana again, hitting her for two fours in her comeback over. UPW reached 82/3 at the half-way mark.
After a couple of quiet overs, Harris upped the scoring as she hit two sixes and a four off Harleen Deol to accumulate 17 runs from the over.
McGrath then reached her fifty from 34 balls with a cracking square drive off Tanuja Kanwar.
Gardner, who had bowled brilliantly, then provided a crucial moment in the match as she had McGrath caught at long off for 57 (38). Sneh Rana then struck in the next over as she had Deepti Sharma caught at mid-on to dent UPW.
Grace Harris though went from strength to strength as she got to her fifty off just 32 balls with a powerful shot over extra cover for four, off Kanwar. And then swung another one over mid-wicket for consecutive fours. With 30 needed off three overs, Harris powered a couple of sixes and Ecclestone hit a four to bring the equation down to 7 from 8. Harris though couldn't stay till the end as she holed out to long on for 72 (41) after hitting Kim Garth for a six over the same region off the earlier ball. Garth could have had two in two but she put down a tough caught and bowled chance of Simran Shaikh.
With 7 needed off 6, Rana bowled four good balls and conceded just five runs which included the run out of Simran Shaikh as they looked to go for a tight second. With 2 needed off 2, Ecclestone kept her calm, shuffled across and flicked it behind square leg for a well-placed four to win the match for UPW and help them qualify for the Playoffs. Gujarat Giants bowed out of the tournament with two wins and six losses from eight matches.
Earlier, Gujarat Giants captain Sneh Rana won the toss and elected to bat. They made one change as Monica Patel replaced S Meghana while UP Warriorz went unchanged.
The Giants got off to a brisk start as the openers - Laura Wolvaardt and Sophia Dunkley garnered 11 runs off the first over bowled by Anjali Sarvani. Dunkley then got into the groove with a couple of lofted fours off Rajeshwari Gayakwad before Wolvaardt smacked one over long-on for the first six of the innings.
The pair then took the attack to Deepti Sharma as Dunkley flicked one for four and Wolvaardt lofted one straight down the ground for six as GG reached 41/0 from 4 overs.
UPW needed a breakthrough and it was provided by Sarvani as she cleaned up Wolvaardt for 17. The round the wicket angle worked for the left-arm pacer as she disturbed the stumps with the one that skidded on. One brought two and then three as Rajeshwari Gaywakad was brought back and she had Dunkley caught at short third man and then the in-form Harleen Deol caught at extra cover. The flight, guile and turn got the better of both the batters
UPW pulled back things as GG reached 50/3 at the end of the Powerplay.
After three quiet overs, Hemalatha upped the ante with a four and six off Gayakwad as GG reached 79/3 at the half-way mark. Hemalatha and Gardner then went on the attack, used their feet to good effect and brought up the 50-run stand off 33 balls. The pair continued to attack as Hemalatha brought up a superb counter-attacking fifty off just 30 balls as she smashed Deepti Sharma for a six down the ground in the 16th over.
The duo added 93 off 61 balls before the impressive Parshavi Chopra had Hemalatha caught at long on for 57.
Gardner though carried forward the momentum as she brought up her fifty off 35 balls.
Chopra then got another big wicket, this time of Gardner, as she had her stumped for 60 (39) in the 19th over. The youngster bowled an excellent penultimate over and gave away just five runs. And then Ecclestone bowled a brilliant final over giving away just seven and picking up the wicket of Sneh Rana as GG posted 178/6 from 20 overs.
Gayakwad (2/39) and Chopra (2/29) picked up two wickets each while Ecclestone bowled an economical spell of 1/27.