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Now... The Chase!

Could Manchester's chase answer back? The opening signs were promising. Smriti Mandhana and Grace Scrivens went after the target immediately. Mandhana struck 28 from 17 balls, with four fours and a six. Scrivens added 31 off 24. Together they gave Manchester a strong start. But Jess Jonassen changed the mood. She bowled Mandhana at ball 24. Manchester finished the Powerplay at 42/1 from 25 balls. Richa Ghosh joined Scrivens. The chase was still well within reach. At 40 balls, Manchester had reached 66/1. They needed 101 from 60. It was difficult. But hardly impossible.

What happened when the final 40 balls arrived? Sutherland took charge. She brought up her third half-century of the tournament from 34 balls. Dani Gibson supplied a lively 24 off 13, striking four boundaries. But Gibson fell to Villiers at ball 78. That left Sutherland with Jess Jonassen for company. The experienced Australian then shifted gears completely. She smashed three consecutive sixes in the closing sets. Sunrisers plundered 35 runs from the final two sets. They crossed 150 in 99 balls and finished on 166/4. Sutherland was unbeaten on 62 off 36, with six fours and three sixes. Villiers was Manchester's best bowler at 2/25. But the scoreboard had already started talking loudly.

Could Manchester keep the squeeze on? For a while, yes. Kathryn Bryce provided the next breakthrough by removing Smith for 17 off 16. Sunrisers were 55/2 after 33 balls. Lauren Winfield-Hill and Annabel Sutherland then took the sensible route. No unnecessary fireworks. Just enough pressure. They added 28 runs before Winfield-Hill was run out for 20 off 15 at 58 balls. At the halfway mark, Sunrisers were 74/2. They had reached 100 in 70 balls, but the innings still needed a proper acceleration. Sutherland was still there. And that was the problem Manchester had to solve.

Let's rewind a bit...

How did Sunrisers start? With Litchfield in launch mode. Phoebe Litchfield smashed 27 off just 12 balls, including five fours and a six. Her strike rate was a ridiculous 225. The opening stand was threatening to run away with the game. Then Mady Villiers arrived with the handbrake. On her second ball, she cramped Litchfield for room and forced a top-edge to mid-wicket. Bryony Smith survived a sharp chance behind the stumps soon after. But she never really found her rhythm. At the end of the Powerplay, Sunrisers were 44/1 from 25 balls. Manchester had pulled things back. The virtual quarter-final was very much alive.

9:54 PM IST, 5:24 PM LOCAL TIME: In a virtual knockout, one team found a second wind while the other simply ran out of road. Sunrisers Leeds turned pressure into a 41-run victory. So, how did a contest that looked perfectly balanced at 74/2 become so one-sided? Sunrisers posted a strong 166/4 from 100 balls, powered by Annabel Sutherland's superb 62 off 36*. Manchester Super Giants began their chase positively. They were 42/1 after 25 balls and 76/1 at halfway. But the wickets started arriving together. The chase eventually finished at 125/8. Sunrisers now march into the playoffs, booking a place in the Eliminator. Manchester's season ends here. In a match where there was no tomorrow, Sunrisers made sure they had one.

Annabel Sutherland (Hero of the Match): "(Has she played a more complete game before?) Umm, maybe not. I absolutely love competing especially in games where we call it a Final. We had to win this game and it's nice to do the job for the team. 

(Did she feel at any stage that the run chase was slipping away from their grasp?) Umm, I mean, they came off to a pretty hot start. I mean, I knew that they will come really hard at us. That was sort of the message to the girls during the break. We wanted to stay calm and couple of wickets changes the game. That's exactly what we did. We were clinical during the middle phase, especially the spinners. We did really well to hold our nerve and it was nice to get the win.

(How is everyone feeling after winning this game) Yeah, it's a bit of a relief to be honest. It's been an interesting 48 hours, thankfully I have been okay. There was some illness going around in the group. We have recovered really well as a group, particularly Phoebe. She had a rough 24 hours and to come out with the bat like that was great to watch."

So, who actually won the match - the batters or the bowlers? Both, but Sunrisers' balance was the difference. Sutherland's unbeaten 62 gave them the finishing punch. Litchfield provided the initial explosion. Gibson kept the middle moving. Then Jonassen delivered a superb 3/21. Sutherland added 2/17, while Deepti Sharma also claimed 2/21. Manchester had begun well in the Powerplay, but the wickets of Scrivens, Ghosh and Lanning changed everything. The Super Giants scored only 49 runs from the final 50 balls while losing seven wickets. That is where the match slipped away.

And what does the result mean? Sunrisers Leeds have done the job when it mattered most. In a virtual quarter-final, there was no room for a second chance. Sunrisers have taken the playoff spot and make their entry in the Eliminator to meet Southern Brave Women there, while Manchester Super Giants are out.

Until then, I am Dev Rajawat, signing off, along with my co-commentator, Pritam Dey, and scorer Paras Yadav. That’s it from our side. Thanks for joining. Goodbye from this tab! TAKE CARE! BREATHE AND SMILE! CIAO!!!