WPL 2026, GG pip UPW in high-scoring affair: Key stats
What's the story
Gujarat Giants kicked off their Women's Premier League (WPL) 2026 campaign on a winning note. The Ashleigh Gardner-led side beat UP Warriorz by 10 runs in Match 2 on Saturday. GG scored 207/4 in 20 overs, riding on Gardner's 65. Sophie Devine and Anushka Sharma also chipped in. In response, UPW saw Phoebe Litchfield smash 78 runs. However, it wasn't enough.
Summary
Summary of GG's innings
GG were reduced to 55/2 with the dismissals of Beth Mooney and Sophie Devine. However, a 103-run stand for the 3rd wicket between Sharma and Gardner helped GG get their innings in shape. In the 18th over, Gardner perished before Georgia Wareham's explosive 10-ball 27* helped the side get to 207. For UPW, Sophie Ecclestone claimed 2/32 from her four overs.
Gardner
Sixth WPL fifty for Gardner and record stand alongside Sharma
Gardner hit six fours and three sixes en route to her 41-ball 65. She has now taken her WPL tally to 632 runs at an average of 26.33. The veteran slammed her sixth fifty in the league as her batting strike rate reads 143.31. As per ESPNcricinfo, Sharma and Gardner's partnership is GG's 4th century-plus stand in WPL and highest for the 3rd wicket.
Information
Devine scores an agressive 38 for GG
Devine scored a neat 38 from 20 balls, striking five fours and 2 sixes. Playing her 19th WPL match, Devine has now raced to 440 runs at 24.44. Her strike rate is 156.02.
Wareham
Wareham chips in with bat and ball
GG's Wareham first scored a whirlwind 27 from 10 balls. She smashed 1 four and 3 sixes. In 21 matches, she now owns 261 runs at 26.10. Her strike rate is an impressive 143.40. With the ball later in the UPW innings, Wareham took 2/30 from her four overs. She has 22 WPL scalps from 21 matches at 25.04.
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UPW's Ecclestone does a fine job with the ball
Warriorz spinner Ecclestone chipped in with two wickets for her side. In 26 WPL matches, she now owns 38 scalps at an average of 18.26.
UPW
How did UPW's innings pan out?
UPW lost opener Kiran Navgire early on before Meg Lanning and Litchfield added 70 runs for the 2nd wicket. Lanning perished for 30 and this led to UPW being reduced to 74/4 with further dismissals of Harleen Deol and Deepti Sharma. Shweta Sehrawat (25) helped Litchfield in the middle before the latter perished (150/6). Asha Sobhana's 27* late on saw UPW get to 197.
Lanning
Lanning becomes 2nd-highest run-scorer in WPL
UP Warriorz captain Lanning surpassed Ellyse Perry to become the second-highest run-scorer in WPL history. She has taken her overall WPL run tally to 982 runs from 28 matches at 39.28. Perry, who is missing this edition's WPL, owns 972 runs at 64.80. Nat Sciver-Brunt is the leading scorer in WPL with 1,031 runs under her belt.
Litchfield
Litchfield slams her maiden WPL fifty
Litchfield slammed her maiden WPL fifty. Her 78 came off 40 balls (4s: 8, 6s: 5). As per ESPNcricinfo, Litchfield has now recorded the 5th-highest individual score for UPW in WPL. Overall, the Aussie batswoman has raced to 277 runs at 19.78 from 15 WPL matches. The former GG player owns a strike rate of 129.43.
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Two wickets each for Devine and Wareham
Devine managed 2/55 from her 4 overs. In 19 matches, she now owns 11 scalps at 29.36. On the other hand, Wareham stood tall with 2/30 from 4 overs. She has picked 22 scalps from 21 matches at 25.04.
Records
Key records made in this contest
After losing each of their previous three opening matches in a WPL season, GG finally claimed victory in the 4th such outing. As per Cricbuzz, the match produced an aggregate score of 404 which is the 2nd-highest in WPL after 438 between RCB and UPW in 2025. The 21 sixes hit in this contest is now the highest in a WPL match.
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GG post their highest score in WPL history
GG recorded their highest score in WPL history (207/4). It's also their 3rd score of 200-plus and a maiden one against UPW. Their previous best score against UPW was 186/5 in 2025.