Uttarakhand Women’s Cricket Team: A Story Full of Determination, Grit, and Adventure
Life is all about crafting different stories at different times. Sometimes, people take inspiration from our stories while we do the same when we feel. On Thursday, November 9, when Uttarakhand and Mumbai will take the field to play the final of the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, they will deliver one such story. Their story is full of resilience and determination and needs to be repeated again and again.
A Humble T20 Debut
Uttarakhand were one of the nine teams which were added before the 2018–19 season of the tournament. In their first outing, they were placed in Group D along with Karnataka, Punjab, Hyderabad, Tripura, Goa, and Jammu Kashmir. The team made their T20 debut against Tripura on February 21 and were bundled out for just 75 runs. Tripura reached 76 runs in 15.5 overs with six wickets in hand. Uttarakhand managed to win just a single game that season against Jammu and Kashmir and finished in fifth place. Punjab went on to win the coveted trophy that year and thrashed Uttarakhand by 52 runs in their encounter.
A Challenging Campaign
In the 2019–20 season, they were again clubbed in Group D with Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala, Chattisgarh, Chandigarh, and Manipur. They opened their account in the very first game against Manipur but went on to lose the next five, while the match against Uttar Pradesh was abandoned. Uttarakhand finished in the second-last position yet again with one win in seven games.
A Memorable Win
The 2020–21 of the tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Uttarakhand again found themselves in Group D during the 2021–22 season. The group also had Baroda, Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Vidarbha, and Gujarat. They defeated Baroda in the very first game by five runs, and it was a significant win for them. It was Baroda’s only loss in the tournament that season before losing the semi-final game against Maharashtra. Uttarakhand couldn’t carry the momentum gained out of their first game and lost the remaining four games. They found themselves in the last place with a solitary win.
A Mixed Bag for Uttarakhand
The 2022–23 season saw them in Group E along with Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Kerala, Punjab, Chattisgarh, and Sikkim. Their first game against Sikkim was abandoned, and they lost the next two games against Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, respectively. They humbled Punjab, the winner of the 2018–19 season, in the next game and went on to clinch victory by a margin of 10 runs against Jharkhand as well. Their win against Jharkhand was special, considering Jharkhand made it to the knockout stage. Uttarakhand won two games in a season for the first time but finished in the second-last place.
A Spectacular Comeback
In the 2023–24 season, Uttarakhand were in Group D along with Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Goa, Chhattisgarh, and Manipur. Their campaign started with a win by 67 runs over Manipur but saw a setback in the very next game against Rajasthan. Uttarakhand could manage only 110 runs in 20 overs, which Rajashthan chased down on the penultimate delivery. It looked like the ghost of the past few years might return to haunt them. But that was not the case this time, as Uttarakhand went on to make a victim out of some of their past rivals. They first defeated Himachal Pradesh by a significant margin of 43 runs after posting 163 runs on the board. Himachal had defeated Uttarakhand by eight wickets during the 2019–20 season.
Their next opponent was Chhattisgarh, against whom they lost last year by a mere margin of four runs. Uttarakhand restricted Chhattisgarh to just 87 runs in 20 overs and then chased down the total with nine wickets in hand.
They lost their next bout against Goa, and once again, it looked like their campaign might halt here with three wins. But Uttarakhand were in a different mood this time. They squashed Kerala in their next game to record their fourth win and qualified for the knockouts.
They faced Karnataka, the 2018–19 edition’s runner-up in the pre quarter-final game and posted 157 runs on the board. In reply, Karnataka were bundled out for just 123 runs and lost the match by 34 runs. In the quarter-final, Uttarakhand faced Punjab, the winner of the 2018–19 edition. Uttarakhand chased down the target of 147 runs on the penultimate delivery and with one wicket in hand.
In the semi-final, they yet again faced Kerala and defeated them for the second time this season. Kerala could make only 84 runs while batting first, and Uttarakhand chased down the target in 14.2 overs with eight wickets in hand.
The Heroes of the Season
Punam Raut, Prema Rawat and Ekta Bisht have been the torch-bearer of Uttarkahand’s dream run this season. Raut has amassed a total of 343 runs in nine outings at an average of 49 and a strike rate of 111, including three half-centuries. Both Bisht and Rawat have picked 14 wickets apiece and are among the top five wicket-takers this season.
Amisha Bahukhandi and Raghvi Bist have also done a commendable job with the ball. Jasia Akhter has the highest strike rate among the top five run-scorers for Uttarakhand this season and has provided some fiery starts to the team. Kanchan Parihar and Reena Jindal have been the backbone of Uttarakhand’s middle order.
Uttarakhand have a story to finish in the final against Mumbai. But even if they don’t, they should keep their chin up as they have already written a story full of all the powerful emotions one can ever imagine. Mumbai have qualified for the final for the first time and have also enjoyed a terrific run.
