Kia Super League: Mandhana, Kaur and Rodrigues slam fifties
It was a strong day for India's women cricketers in the ongoing Kia Super League being held in England. Big guns Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues slammed half-centuries for their respective sides. Deepti Sharma too chipped in with a cameo. The approach by the players was pleasing to the eye. Here are all the details.
In the 15th match of the tournament, Western Storm beat Lancashire Thunder by five wickets. Harmanpreet scored a 37-ball 50 for Thunder to impress once again. She went past 200 runs in the league (210) and is the second-highest run-scorer. Harmanpreet slammed six fours and two sixes to help her side post 159/8 against Western Storm. However, it wasn't enough for the Thunder.
Mandhana slammed a gutsy 43-ball 72 for Western Storm against Lancashire Thunder. Her efforts helped Storm chase down the target of 160. Mandhana amassed nine fours and two sixes. Earlier, she had set up a win against Yorkshire Diamonds. In that game, Mandhana slammed 70. The left-handed batswoman has 235 runs in the league and is the top run-getter so far.
Deepti Sharma, who played her maiden game for Western Storm against the Thunder, showed her prowess with the bat. The promising cricketer hit a fluent 14-ball 23 batting at the number six position. She smashed four boundaries in her cameo. This saw Western Storm maintain their unbeaten start to the season. Deepti also bowled four overs and gave away just 25 runs.
In another match, Jemimah Rodrigues scored her first Super League half-century. The Yorkshire Diamonds batswoman couldn't help her side beat Loughborough Lightning though. Rodrigues smashed a 40-ball 58 on a day where the others struggled. Diamonds managed 129/10. In response, Lightning surpassed the target in the last over with South Africa's Mignon du Preez managing an unbeaten 38.
