WPL: Gardner fifty seals GG's dominant win over RCB
Bengaluru, Feb 27 (PTI): Ashleigh Gardner led from the front with a blazing 58 off 31 balls as bottom-placed Gujarat Giants snapped their losing streak with a dominant six-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the WPL here on Thursday.
Opting to bowl, GG put on a disciplined bowling display, with Deandra Dottin (2/31) and Tanuja Kanwar (2/16) restricting RCB to a below-par 125/7. The offspin allrounder Gardner also chipped in with 1/22 in a tidy spell.
GG took just 16.3 overs to seal victory, with Gardner smashing three sixes and six fours in her third fifty of the tournament.
She raced to her half-century in just 28 balls, bringing it up in style with back-to-back sixes—a slog-sweep over long-on followed by a powerful hit over deep midwicket.
GG's top order faltered, with Beth Mooney (17), Dayalan Hemalatha (11), and Harleen Deol (5) falling cheaply, but Gardner took charge.
She broke free in Prema Rawat’s over, plundering 19 runs -- pulling one to fine leg, driving another through cover, and finishing with a six over deep square leg.
There was no stopping GG from there as they cruised to their second win of the season, their last coming against UP Warriorz in Vadodara.
Desperate for a win, the bottom-placed Giants who have just one victory, delivered with the ball, with pace spearhead Deandra (2/31) and left-arm spinner Tanuja Kanwar (2/16) giving outstanding performance.
Gardner (1/22) and Kashvee Gautam (1/17) provided solid support.
Opting to bowl, GG struck early, reducing RCB to 25/3 inside the powerplay.
Smriti Mandhana (10 off 20), Danni Wyatt-Hodge (4 off 4), and in-form Ellyse Perry (0 off 4) fell cheaply. Perry had scored three fifties in her last four innings, including two 80-plus knocks.
Kanika Ahuja (33 off 28; 1x4, 2x6) and Ragvi Bist (22 off 19; 1x4, 1x6) counter-attacked, adding 48 off 37 balls.
Kanika dominated leg-spinner Priya Mishra, smashing back-to-back boundaries, including a six, as her over went for 18 runs.
Bist looked threatening, launching Meghna Singh’s off-cutter over long-on for a six, but GG struck back quickly, removing both batters within five runs.
Bist was run out immediately after a dropped catch, while Kanika miscued a big hit, allowing Kanwar to sprint back for a superb diving catch off her own bowling.
Georgia Wareham (20 not out; 21 balls) and Richa Ghosh (9 off 10) attempted to rebuild with a 21-run stand, but Kashvee's yorker cleaned up Ghosh, keeping GG in control.
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Ikkis box office Day 1: Agastya Nanda’s war drama earns ₹7 crore, beats trade projections
Mumbai: Ikkis, the latest war drama directed by Sriram Raghavan, has delivered a stronger-than-expected opening at the box office, earning an estimated ₹7 crore net in India on its first day, Hindustan Times reported on Friday.
The film, starring Agastya Nanda, opened in theatres on January 1 across nearly 4,000 screens nationwide. Trade analysts had earlier projected a modest opening of ₹2–2.5 crore, especially given stiff competition from Dhurandhar, which continues to perform strongly at the box office.
Despite these expectations, Ikkis exceeded projections by nearly three times, helped largely by positive word of mouth. As per the report, the film had around 12% occupancy in the morning shows across the country, which jumped to 35% by afternoon, and 47% in the evening, indicating growing audience interest as the day progressed.
While Dhurandhar dominated the day with a reported ₹15 crore collection, trade observers note that Ikkis holding its ground amid such competition is a promising sign, particularly for its performance over the extended opening weekend.
Ikkis is based on the life of Arun Khetarpal, the youngest recipient of India’s highest gallantry award, the Param Vir Chakra. The film chronicles Khetarpal’s exploits and bravery during the 1971 India-Pakistan War. Agastya plays Khetarpal in the film.
While screen legend Dharmendra appears as his father in his final performance, Dharmendra died a little over a month before the film’s release. Ikkis is also among the final films of the late Asrani, who also died late last year. The film also stars Jaideep Ahlawat and Deepak Dobriyal.
