Women's T20 Challenge: Trailblazers pull-off thrilling 2-run win over Supernovas at Jaipur

Needing 19 off the final over, Supernovas skipper Harmanpreet (46 not out off 34) almost got her team over the line with some sensational hitting but veteran pacer Jhulan Goswami held her nerve

Trailblazers withstood the onslaught of hard-hitting Harmanpreet Kaur to pull-off a thrilling two-run win over Supernovas in the opening game of the Women's T20 Challenge on Monday. Needing 19 off the final over, Supernovas skipper Harmanpreet (46 not out off 34) almost got her team over the line with some sensational hitting but veteran pacer Jhulan Goswami held her nerve after being smashed for four consecutive boundaries.

Harman's last over heroics https://t.co/p4pX7xA8MW

— Shivam Sharma (@Shivam_Sharma33) May 6, 2019

In response to Trailblazers' 140 for five, Supernovas ended agonisingly short at 138 for six. Harmanpreet and New Zealander Sophie Devine (32 off 22) took the game deep with a 48-run stand for the fifth wicket.

Harmanpreet Kaur's fighting 46*(34) https://t.co/gAcPR38LZi

— Shivam Sharma (@Shivam_Sharma33) May 6, 2019

The game was an ideal advert for women's cricket and before Harmanpreet's cameo, it was explosive opener and Trailblazers skipper Smriti Mandhana who enthralled the Jaipur crowd with a match-winning 90 off 67 balls.

Smriti Mandhana's stroke-filled 90(67) https://t.co/0POUWHEi4c

— Shivam Sharma (@Shivam_Sharma33) May 6, 2019

Mandhana took the team to a fighting total after Supernovas opted to field on a slow surface at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Stroke making was tough on a rather slow surface and though 141 seemed like a comfortable target, Supernovas had to work hard for every run. Poor fielding let Trailblazers down but they still managed to get the result they wanted. After the early fall of New Zealand veteran Suzie Bates, captain Mandhana anchored a 119-run stand with Harleen Deol (36 off 44), who struggled to change gears in challenging conditions. In fact, both Mandhana and Deol struggled to get going as Trailblazers crawled to 25 for one in six overs after Harmanpreet Kaur-led Supernovas opted to field.