Tehri Queens clinch first Women’s Uttarakhand Premier League title

Tehri Queens clinch first Women’s Uttarakhand Premier League title (Source: WUPL)

Table-toppers Tehri Queens capped off their dominant campaign with a commanding seven wicket win over Haridwar Storm in the Women’s UPL 2025 final. Skipper Neelam Bhardwaj led from the front, finishing as the tournament’s highest run-scorer, leading wicket-taker, and top catcher. In the final, Nisha Mishra, Sabhya, and Megha Saini were the standout performers.

Haridwar Storm, sent in to bat after Tehri Queens won the toss. Opener Jyoti Giri rode her luck early with an edgy boundary but soon found her rhythm, striking cleanly and confidently. Along with Deepika Chand, she powered the side to 43 without loss in the powerplay, the second-highest powerplay score of the tournament.

Sensing the momentum, Neelam Bhardwaj introduced Nisha Mishra and Sabhya, who tightened the screws immediately. Dipika Chand was stumped in the eighth over, triggering a slowdown. Between the seventh and 10th overs, Haridwar managed only 13 runs.

Neelam Bhardwaj then brought herself on, and though Jyoti Giri found a boundary off her first over, the skipper struck back quickly, taking a sharp catch in the very next over to dismiss Jyoti for a well-made 41 (38 balls, 5 fours, 1 six).

With Jyoti Giri gone, Haridwar looked to rebuild through Sweta Verma and Kalpana Verma. Sweta briefly lifted the tempo with boundaries but was run out in a dramatic 14th over after a mix-up. In the same sequence, Preeti Bhandari’s sharp fielding caused a stumping, derailing Haridwar’s momentum.

At 84/3 in the 15th over, Haridwar still hoped to add 30-40 runs. But Nisha Mishra’s stunning over changed everything as she picked up three wickets in five balls, missing a hat-trick but leaving Haridwar reeling. Neelam Bhardwaj then cleaned up the last recognized batters, Kalpana Verma and Rose, in quick succession. Haridwar eventually limped to 99/9 in 20 overs.

Nisha Mishra (3/11) and Sabhya (3/13) provided excellent support, while Neelam’s double strike not only sealed the collapse but also confirmed her status as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker (nine wickets).

Chasing 100, Tehri Queens started confidently. Impact substitute Megha Saini took charge early, while opener Arti Bhandari was run out with the score of 33. Megha, however, kept the chase on track with a flurry of boundaries, including three in one over off Ankita Shah, followed by a six in the next over. She brought up her half-century off just 32 balls.

From there, it was smooth sailing. Megha Saini remained unbeaten on a blistering 67 off 42 balls, guiding Tehri Queens to victory. The champions reached the target with 49 balls to spare and seven wickets in hand, sealing their maiden Women’s UPL crown in emphatic fashion.

Celebrating The Stars:

The closing ceremony celebrated the finest performers of the Women’s UPL 2025. Kanika Negi was recognised as the Emerging Player of the Tournament, a testament to her promising talent, while Sabhya’s incisive spells earned her the title of Best Bowler. Tournament captain extraordinaire Neelam Bhardwaj swept the batting honours as Best Batter before being crowned the Player of the Tournament. Along with the accolades came cash prizes: INR 10,000 each for Negi, Sabhya, and Bhardwaj’s batting award, and a grand ₹50,000 purse for Bhardwaj’s Player of the Tournament triumph.

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