Harris' unbeaten 60 helped UP Warriorz to reach the same points as the other four teams.
Grace Harris scored her third consecutive fifty against Gujarat Giants, leaving Beth Mooney's side winless after three matches. Her unbeaten 60 off 33 balls, which included nine fours and two sixes, turned what was becoming a tense contest into a one-sided affair. UP Warriorz became the sixth team to win while chasing at the M Chinnaswamy in eight matches, pushing them level with the other four teams on points.
In the end, the Giants will reflect on a batting line-up with many big names but not enough big runs. Although they scored their highest total of the tournament so far, none of their batters scored more than Phoebe Litchfield's 35. They were kept quiet by a shrewd Warriorz attack.
Warriorz only bowled one over of seam, which was delivered by Anjali Sarvani during the powerplay. It cost 13 runs and prompted a switch to spin, which proved successful except for three overs. Between the 15th and 18th overs, Giants scored 40 runs as Phoebe Litchfield and Ashleigh Gardner shared a 52-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
The chase got off to a quick start thanks to Alyssa Healy's 21-ball 33, but it was all Warriorz from there as Rachel Harris played her power game to secure the win.
Wolvaardt and Litchfield contribute
At the top, the Giants experimented with their third opening combination in as many games and achieved their best result yet. Laura Wolvaardt, who was playing her first game of the WPL season, partnered with Beth Mooney and together they shared a 40-run stand. This was an improvement from the previous partnerships of 3 runs between Mooney and Veda Krishnamurthy, and 11 runs between Mooney and Harleen Deol. Wolvaardt demonstrated her strong batting skills by hitting back-to-back drives through the offside in the second over and also showed proficiency in her leg-side game.
Later in the innings, Litchfield, who came in at No.4, played to her reputation and injected some urgency into the meandering innings. Despite scoring in single digits in her first two matches, she was fortunate to survive a dropped catch on 19 and went on to hit the biggest six of the innings, when she slammed Deepti Sharma over deep mid-wicket. Litchfield and Ashleigh Gardner shared the Giants' first 50-run partnership of the tournament, providing their attack with a defendable total to bowl at.
Ecclestone's ace
The top-ranked T20I bowler demonstrated her skills by taking three important wickets to restrict the Giants. Sophie Ecclestone's first wicket came during the powerplay when Mooney attempted to hit her over mid-off but instead gave a catch to Harris in the circle. Her second wicket was a result of a tight squeeze by the spin bowler - the Giants failed to score a boundary for 19 balls - and Wolvaardt attempted to hit over the top but gave a simple catch to Chamari Athapaththu, who was making her WPL debut, at mid-off. Litchfield was almost out for 19, but Deepti missed the catch at cover. Athapaththu compensated for the mistake by giving Ecclestone her third wicket and taking a good running catch from a short fine to dismiss Gardner for 30.
Athapaththu has checked in
After failing to sell at auction for the past two years, Athapaththu joined the team as a replacement for Lauren Bell. She waited until the third match to make it into the starting lineup and then showcased her batting skills in the second half of the game. In the meantime, she opened the bowling and finished with the most economical figures of the attack, conceding only 19 runs in four overs. However, it was only after Kiran Navgire was caught at short third, having top-edged Tanuja Kanwar, that Athapaththu made her debut in the WPL. She took a sighter and blocked the first ball for four, but then displayed her strong wrists to hit the second ball through midwicket for four. This is what many have been waiting for. Her partnership with Healy lasted only four balls, and Harris dominated the strike thereafter. But when given the chance, she made the most of it, hitting three more fours before falling for a sprightly 17, suggesting the best was yet to come.
Grace shifts gears
Warriorz stumbled after losing Athapaththu and Shweta Sehrawat within three overs, but Harris provided a crucial contribution. When Sehrawat was bowled, Harris had scored 25 runs off 17 balls, and Warriorz required 53 runs from 56 balls. In the following over, Harris displayed pinpoint accuracy with a drive down the ground. Although she attempted the paddle down the leg and the slog over cow corner, it was her shot down the ground that stood out. With even better timing, she played it again at the start of the 15th over, reaching 50 off 30 balls. The Warriorz needed only eight runs off 31 balls, and she took them over the line with 26 balls to spare.