After days of intense action and standout performances it was the Final showdown as the Bundelkhand Bulls Women took on the Chambal Ghariyals Women, beating them by 26 runs and emerging as the first ever title holders of the Madhya Pradesh Women’s League.
Batting first in the high-pressure final, Bundelkhand Bulls Women put up a modest total of 122/8 in 20 overs. Their innings was anchored early on by a solid 60-run partnership between openers Aayushi Shukla and Anushka Sharma, giving the Bulls a promising start.
Aayushi Shukla was the standout with the bat, playing a fluent knock of 36 off 27 balls, at an impressive strike rate of 133.3, while Anushka Sharma provided good support with a steady 26 off 30 balls. The momentum, however, dipped sharply in the middle overs as the Bulls collapsed, Reena Yadav fell cheaply for 8, and Soniya Singh departed without scoring.
Captain Rahila Firdous tried to steady the innings with a cautious 11 off 13, and Ananya Dubey chipped in with a useful 21 off 19, but the lower order failed to capitalize, managing only single-digit contributions as Chambal’s bowlers tightened the screws.
For Chambal Ghariyals Women, Dhani Buchade was the pick of the bowlers, delivering a clinical spell of 3/19 in 4 overs, chipping in at crucial breakthroughs. She was well-supported by Shreya Dixit, who was equally effective with 2/12 from her 3 overs. Aditi Panwar (1/16) and Anaadi Tagde (1/27) chipped in with crucial breakthroughs to keep the Bulls in check and resisted them to capitalize further.
Chasing a modest target of 123, Chambal Champions Women who had been unbeaten throughout the tournament never truly found their footing in the grand finale. Their top order faltered early, with Aashna Patidar (6) and Shreya Dixit (2) departing cheaply, putting the team on the back foot early.
Jincy George tried to stabilize the innings with a watchful 20 off 30 balls, but her resistance was short-lived. Captain Soumya Tiwari showed grit with a composed 31* off 48, while Sanjana Awase chipped in with a brisk 19 off 16. However, the rest of the middle and lower order crumbled under pressure, managing only single-digit scores, with Aditi Panwar falling for a duck and Payal Balmik contributing just one run.
The Bundelkhand Bulls Women bowlers displayed exceptional control and intent. Muskan Biswas starred with a remarkable spell of 2/13 in 4 overs, while Honey Yadav (1/12) and Vaishnavi Sharma (1/26) applied relentless pressure. As a result, Chambal were restricted to just 96/6 in their 20 overs, falling short by 26 runs.
Despite Chambal’s dominant run in the league games, the beauty of cricket lay in its unpredictability on the day it mattered most. Bundelkhand Bulls Women rose to the occasion, turning the tide and scripting history by clinching the first-ever Madhya Pradesh Women’s League title.
