Supernovas earns easy win over Trailblazers

PUNE: Supernovas earned a facile 49-run win over Trailblazers in the opening match of the Women’s T20 Challenge here on Monday.

After posting the tournament’s highest-ever total -- 163 all out, Supernovas restricted Trailblazers to 114 for nine with medium pacer Pooja Vastrakar emerging the pick of the bowlers taking four wickets for 12 runs. Barring skipper Smriti Mandhana who scored 34, none of the other Trailblazers batters made a meaningful contribution.

Earlier, Supernovas captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who opted to bat after winning the toss, topscored with 37 off 29 balls while Harleen Deol and Deandra Dottin chipped in with 35 and 32 respectively.

It, however, lost five wickets in the last two overs for just eight runs, including that of Kaur, in a dramatic collapse.

Hayley Matthews was the pick of the Trailblazers bowlers with figures of 3 for 29 while Salma Khatun took two for 30 runs.

The Supernovas made a rollicking start, reaching the tournament’s best-ever power-play score of 58 for one with opener Dottin (32 off just 17 balls) in ominous form.

Dottin hit Renuka Singh for three fours in the third over from which the Supernovas took 14 runs. She was, however, run out in the fifth over while backing out too far from her crease. She hit five fours and one six in all.

The other opener Priya Punia (22) continued a bit longer before she was out in the eighth over. Young Deol showed tremendous form and shared 37 runs for the third wicket with captain Kaur.

She hit Matthews for consecutive fours in the eighth over but could not convert her start to a big score, getting out in the 12th over.

Kaur, coming out at the fall of Punia in the eighth over, took the onus of steadying the ship on herself though her side lost wickets in clusters.

BRIEF SCORES: Supernovas 163 in 20 overs (H Kaur 37, H Deol 35, H Matthews 3/29) bt Trailblazers 114/9 in 20 overs (P Vastrakar 4/12)