Twitter Reactions: Supernovas overcome Trailblazers scare to win last ball thriller

The stage was all set for a one-off exhibition game between the IPL Trailblazers and the IPL Supernovas at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. It was a historic occasion as the biggest stars of the women’s cricket came under one roof to face off in an IPL-styled encounter. As many people rightly termed, the match was a teaser or a trailer for what could be a very promising prospect of Women’s IPL in the future.

The popularity of the Women’s cricket has been on the rise in the recent times. And hence, this initiative of the BCCI was to strengthen the fan base that the women cricketers have managed to garner in the recent past. The two teams lined up for the game were not short on big names.

The Harmanpreet Kaur-led Supernovas featured Danielle Wyatt, Meg Lanning, Sophie Devine, Ellyse Perry, and Megan Schutt as the overseas stars. Among the Indian names, the names of Mithali Raj and Veda Krishnamurthy stood out along with skipper Kaur. The Trailblazers were led by Smriti Mandhana. They had the services of Alyssa Healy, Danielle Hazell, Suzie Bates, Beth Mooney, and Lea Tahuhu.

In the match, the Supernovas won the toss and opted to bowl first. The Trailblazers lost their openers, Healy (7) and Mandhana (14), early in the innings. The wicket of Beth Mooney (4) fell soon after as Perry and Schutt bowled with exceptional control. The innings failed to get any serious momentum. Suzie Bates top scored for the side with a 27-ball 32 and Deepti Sharma chipped in with 22. Later in the innings, Jemimah Rodrigues scored 25 to see the Trailblazers finish with 129/6 in 20 overs.

In the run chase, the Supernovas got off to a very good start with their openers, Mithali Raj (22) and Danielle Wyatt (24) adding 47 runs for the first wicket. Both batters got starts but failed to make it big. Meg Lanning failed to make things count as well and was sent packing by Poonam Yadav on 16. Skipper Harmanpreet struggled for her 23-ball 21 as she found support from Sophie Devine (19) at the other end.

The match looked an easy chase for Supernovas before Suzie Bates struck twice to bring Trailblazers back in the game. The innings slumped from 106/3 to 113/6. The sudden scare took the game to the final over of the innings. A calm head Ellyse Perry (13*) and a crucial 2-run contribution from Pooja Vastrakar in the final over saw the Supernovas register a 3-wicket win. The match was indeed a very exciting one. It was only a shame to see empty stands at the venue for the big match.

Here is how the cricket world reacted to the historic match:

Suzie Bates and Ellyse Perry can give some male all-rounders a run for their money waise

— samreen (@_whatsinaname) May 22, 2018

Even @Danni_Wyatt falls to a leg-spinner like @imVkohli! 🙈🙊

— Saurabh Malhotra (@MalhotraSaurabh) May 22, 2018

Well done to all involved in a very successful #WomensT20Challenge at the ipl. Last ball thriller. Good to see it on @FOXCricketLive

— Mitch Starc (@mstarc56) May 22, 2018

Trailblazers lost, but you have to give it to @mandhana_smriti. For the sheer energy, intent, proactiveness despite defending 130.
So many superstars, and yet there was no doubt who the person in charge was.
I guess I have to overlook Smriti's love for matki usal. 🙁#IPLWomen

— Abhishek Mukherjee (@ovshake42) May 22, 2018

A T20 game on a week day at 2pm. Baby steps for Women's cricket but a step indeed! #IPLWomen

— Manya (@CSKian716) May 22, 2018

Very fitting that this @IPL Women’s T20 Challenge went down to the very last ball. Hopefully next time there will be plenty more people in the crowd #IPLWomen

— Jessica Jonassen (@JJonassen21) May 22, 2018

Good on the Trailblazers for running the Supernovas close. A tie would have been a terrific result 🙂 #IPLWomen #WomensT20Challenge

— Arun Venugopal (@scarletrun) May 22, 2018

The time has come!! #IPLWomen #Trailblazers #Supernovas pic.twitter.com/mymo8Rh277

— Dane van Niekerk (@danevn81) May 22, 2018

Supernovas win! The first Women's IPL match goes right to the final ball, @ImHarmanpreet's side chasing 130 to claim victory by 3 wickets! #IPLWomen pic.twitter.com/MMUNwt3yZd

— ICC (@ICC) May 22, 2018

I love seeing the woman’s game evolve so well. Some serious skill out there that continues to improve. #IPLWomen

— Jono Dean (@JonoDean33) May 22, 2018

Jhulan Goswami bowling to Mithali Raj. Top ODI wicket-taker against top ODI run-getter. Top contest #IPLWomen

— Moulin (@Moulinparikh) May 22, 2018

The very first one-off Women's T20 challenge went down to the last over. What an experience this has been at Wankhede. Supernovas beat Trailblazers by 3 wickets. Smiles all around #IPLWomen pic.twitter.com/7WwnxEhAtu

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 22, 2018

For the latest cricket news, follow CricTracker.