Gujarat Giants ended their three-match losing streak in emphatic fashion, defeating UP Warriorz by 45 runs at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara on January 22, 2026. Sophie Devine’s unbeaten half-century and Rajeshwari Gayakwad’s three-wicket haul powered GG to second place on the WPL 2026 points table, while consigning UP Warriorz to their third consecutive defeat. The comprehensive victory showcased contrasting fortunes for the two teams, with GG finding form at the perfect time while UPW’s campaign continues to unravel.
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Gaud and Spinners Stifle Giants’ Batting
Gujarat Giants’ innings followed a familiar pattern of early promise followed by mid-innings struggles before a late flourish from Devine. On a black-soil surface full of cracks at Vadodara, Kranti Gaud landed the ball in the right areas to trouble the batters throughout her spell.
Gaud conceded two fours in the opening over, one via a fortuitous inside edge off Danni Wyatt-Hodge, who came in for Georgia Wareham. But the medium pacer made amends in her next over, bowling Wyatt-Hodge with a ripper that landed on one of the cracks around off and deviated away slightly. Wyatt-Hodge played for the original line but was undone by the movement.
Gaud struck again in her next over, having Anushka Sharma caught behind, two balls after the batter got a thick outside edge away for four. GG scored 52 for 2 in the powerplay, with Gaud finishing her opening spell with figures of 3-0-16-2. She closed out with four more dots to finish with 2 for 18.
| Gujarat Giants Powerplay Performance | Runs | Wickets | Run Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overs 1-6 | 52 | 2 | 8.67 |
The rest of the UP Warriorz bowlers built on Gaud’s foundation to slow down GG’s scoring rate dramatically. Even with a set Beth Mooney in the middle, the Giants could not manage to change gears. In the ten overs after the powerplay, they managed only three sixes and one four, scoring 59 runs between overs 7-16.
The surface was slightly slow, even though dew had set in early, making strokeplay difficult. Sophie Ecclestone, Chloe Tryon, Deepti Sharma and Asha Sobhana all managed to keep the ball away from the batters’ hitting arc, resulting in 50 dot balls in 16 overs.
Devine’s Late Fireworks
Two of the four boundaries GG scored in the middle overs, including the only six, came off Devine’s bat on the fourth ball she faced. However, even she was not insulated from the effects of the slow surface, scoring 30 off her first 33 balls.
Devine should have been dismissed for 21 off 24 when Phoebe Litchfield dropped a sitter at deep midwicket off Asha Sobhana’s bowling. That mistake resulted in the run-out of Bharti Fulmali, who has scores of 14 off 15 and 5 off 5 after her India recall. Fulmali ended up at the striker’s end where Devine was ball-watching.
| Sophie Devine’s Innings Phases | Balls | Runs | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| First 33 balls | 33 | 30 | 90.91 |
| Last 7 balls | 7 | 20 | 285.71 |
| Total | 42 | 50* | 119.05 |
Devine is not one to let mistakes go unpunished. She blazed 20 runs off the last seven balls she faced to complete her second half-century of WPL 2026. That included two sixes in the last over of the innings bowled by Shikha Pandey, which cost UP Warriorz 16 runs.
Devine’s unbeaten 50 off 42 balls helped Gujarat Giants reach 153 for 8, a total that proved 45 too many for UP Warriorz.
UP Warriorz’s Batting Collapse
If the middle overs of GG’s innings felt laborious, it proved to be a freefall for UP Warriorz. The contrast was stark: while GG scored 59 for 3 in the middle overs, UPW managed only 50 for 6 in the same phase. This disparity symbolized the contrasting conditions between Navi Mumbai and Vadodara, with the new venue proving significantly more challenging.
Kiran Navgire had a pretty good day on the field, with a direct hit that almost dismissed Mooney, a fantastic low catch to finally get rid of her, and a smart catch running backward to end Kanika Ahuja’s stay. But her wretched run with the bat continued after she overbalanced while trying to flick a ball down leg, and the ball ricocheted off Mooney’s pads onto the stumps. She fell for a two-ball duck to follow scores of 0, 10, 0, 5 and 1.
| Kiran Navgire’s WPL 2026 Scores | Match | Runs | Balls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Match 1 | vs RCB | 0 | – |
| Match 2 | vs MI | 10 | – |
| Match 3 | vs DC | 0 | – |
| Match 4 | vs RCB | 5 | – |
| Match 5 | vs DC | 1 | – |
| Match 6 | vs GG | 0 | 2 |
Meg Lanning had started to find her fluency when a freak dismissal ended her stay. She looked to pull Kashvee Gautam only for the ball to deflect off her thigh guard, onto the back of her leg and then onto the stumps. The bizarre dismissal left UPW at 39 for 2.
A lot rested on Phoebe Litchfield’s shoulders and she found boundaries regularly in the powerplay. She even greeted Ashleigh Gardner with a reverse sweep over short third. But her next attempt at that shot two balls later resulted in her dismissal, finding Renuka Singh at short third. Litchfield’s 32 off 27 balls represented the highest score of the innings.
From there it became a test of UPW’s middle order, which failed comprehensively. Harleen Deol could not force the pace on the slow track and was out for 3 off 12 balls.
Gayakwad’s Decisive Spell
Rajeshwari Gayakwad, brought in for Tanuja Kanwar who was wicketless in her three innings with the ball, proved to be the match-winner with her left-arm spin. The experienced India international claimed three crucial wickets for just 16 runs from her four overs.
Deepti Sharma, Shweta Sehrawat and Asha Sobhana all fell trying to force the pace against Gayakwad’s accurate bowling. The spinner’s ability to exploit the conditions and maintain pressure proved decisive in dismantling UP Warriorz’s middle order.
| Gujarat Giants Bowling Performance | Overs | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rajeshwari Gayakwad | 4 | 16 | 3 | 4.00 |
| Renuka Singh | 4 | 20 | 2 | 5.00 |
| Sophie Devine | 3.3 | 16 | 2 | 4.57 |
| Ashleigh Gardner | 3 | 23 | 1 | 7.66 |
| Kashvee Gautam | 3 | 31 | 1 | 10.33 |
Gayakwad’s figures of 3 for 16 earned her the Player of the Match award, recognizing her match-winning contribution with the ball.
Devine’s All-Round Excellence
Sophie Devine’s impact extended beyond her batting heroics. She also claimed two wickets for 16 runs from 3.3 overs, giving her an all-round performance that showcased her value to the Gujarat Giants team.
Devine’s two wickets in this match meant she went to the top of the WPL 2026 bowling charts with 11 wickets for the season. This achievement highlighted her exceptional all-round abilities and consistency throughout the tournament.
Renuka Singh supported Gayakwad and Devine superbly, claiming 2 for 20 from her four overs. The pace bowler’s economical spell in the powerplay and middle overs helped maintain pressure on the UP Warriorz batsmen.
Points Table Implications
The comprehensive victory had significant implications for both teams’ positions in the WPL 2026 standings. Gujarat Giants ended their three-match losing streak to break away from the four-point logjam on the table, jumping to second place with six points from six matches.
UP Warriorz, meanwhile, were coming off a five-day break and playing their first game of the Vadodara leg. The change of venue did not work in their favor as they suffered their fourth defeat in six games, leaving them rooted at the bottom of the table with just four points.
| WPL 2026 Points Table (After Match 14) | Matches | Won | Lost | Points | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RCB Women | 5 | 5 | 0 | 10 | +1.882 |
| Gujarat Giants Women | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | -0.341 |
| Mumbai Indians Women | 6 | 2 | 4 | 4 | +0.046 |
| Delhi Capitals Women | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -0.586 |
| UP Warriorz Women | 6 | 2 | 4 | 4 | -0.769 |
With four defeats in six games, UP Warriorz face a must-win situation in their last two matches. They also have another week-long break before their next fixture, a position Meg Lanning hasn’t found herself in during her WPL career.
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FAQs
What was the final score of the Gujarat Giants vs UP Warriorz match?
Gujarat Giants scored 153 for 8 in 20 overs and bowled out UP Warriorz for 108 in 17.3 overs, winning by 45 runs.
Who won Player of the Match in the GG vs UPW game?
Rajeshwari Gayakwad won Player of the Match for her bowling figures of 3 wickets for 16 runs in 4 overs.
How many runs did Sophie Devine score?
Sophie Devine scored an unbeaten 50 off 42 balls, including two sixes in the final over to complete her second half-century of WPL 2026.
What is Gujarat Giants’ position after this victory?
Gujarat Giants moved to second place on the WPL 2026 points table with 6 points from 6 matches after ending their three-match losing streak.
How many consecutive losses have UP Warriorz suffered?
UP Warriorz have suffered three consecutive defeats and have won just 2 matches out of 6 in WPL 2026, sitting at the bottom of the table with 4 points.
