Crucial wickets from Ash Gardner have guided the Gujarat Giants to their first win of India's Women's Premier League.
The Muruwari allrounder took a team-best 2-23 (4) in the Giants' 19-run victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Gardner started Gujarat's defence of 5-199 in strong fashion, allowing just two runs from the first over of the chase after the Muruwari woman was tasked with opening the bowling for the second time in the tournament.
She returned to the bowling crease three overs later, claiming the crucial wicket of Royal Challengers Bangalore opener Smriti Mandhana (24 from 16) leg-before-wicket from the first ball of her second over.
Coming around the wicket, Gardner trapped the left hander in front after the RCB captain went back to a length off-break delivery, pulling across the line before being hit on the back leg.
Mandhana challenged the umpire's out decision, which was upheld on review.
Gardner went on to allowing a single from the fifth ball of her second over, maintaining figures of 1-2 from her two overs.
Despite the loss of their captain, RCB remained in the chase with contributions coming from the bat of internationals Ellyse Perry (24 from 23) and Sophie Devine (23 from 16), with Indian allrounder Richa Ghosh (30 from 21) also in the runs.
Gardner was brought back into the attack with five overs to go and after conceding multiple boundaries, momentum was with RCB.
In the air & taken 🙌
Ashleigh Gardner with yet another crucial strike just when Richa Ghosh got going!#RCB need 71 off the final four
Live 💻📱https://t.co/W8mqrR94WB#TATAWPL | #GGvRCB pic.twitter.com/p83zjUJ0yL
— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) March 6, 2024
That was until Gardner picked up the hard-hitting Ghosh from the last ball of the 16th over, after the right hander mistimed a wide full toss, skying the front foot pull to Meghan Singh at point.
Following Ghosh's dismissal, Australian international Georgia Wareham (48 from 22) did her best to keep her side in the chase, however multiple run outs in the final overs of the match killed off any chance of an RCB victory.
Although conceding 12 runs from the final over of the match, Gardner ensured there was no chance of a late RCB comeback.
Following Gujarat's maiden win of the 2024 tournament, Gardner said her side had been eager to find their first victory of the tournament.
"There's plenty of emotions - we've been waiting for five games for this moment," she said, via AAP.
"We finally did it, so there's a sigh of relief there. We played like we had nothing to lose. We knew we'd have to get 200 and most of the credit goes to both openers. It was one of the closest-to-perfect performances we've had."
Gujarat's victory was set up by a mammoth 140-run opening stand between South African international Laura Wolvaardt (76 from 45) and Player of the Match Beth Mooney (85* from 51).
Gardner missed out with the bat, dismissed for a golden duck in the 19th over at the hands of Georgia Wareham (1-36).
Gujarat will look to string together consecutive victories when they face the Mumbai Indians on Sunday.
