In Kiran Navgire, UP Warriorz might have struck gold accidentally

"Necessity is the mother of invention."

That’s exactly how UP Warriorz realised Kiran Navgire could be the ideal opener in such a setup. When Vrinda Dinesh injured her shoulder, any team could have pressed the panic button, but not UP Warriorz. 

They had someone of Navgire’s ability. What she does is unique; there aren’t too many openers in the country who can come out and smack the ball. At least, not at the top of the order. That’s where Navgire’s power-hitting abilities stand out. 

Across the last two games, they had the worst numbers for an opening pair, with just 36 runs, all of that coming at a strike rate of 69.2, the lowest for any team this year. 

Not just that, Warriorz’ top-order averaged 9.8 going into this game. 

NINE POINT EIGHT. 

Such numbers wouldn’t even come close to a title, and that’s where Warriorz accidentally might have hit the jackpot. Navgire absolutely SMACKS IT! That’s where the pairing of Navgire-Healy might just be as dangerous as Meg Lanning and Shafali Verma at the top.

Navgire's first scoring shot in the game was a four straight down the ground against Saika Ishaque, which set the momentum. 

And then when she saw pace at the other end - Issy Wong - she absolutely licked her lips. 

Four, four, four, dot, four. 

That’s really what set the momentum for the Warriorz, who, at the top of the order, have been searching for motivation. Today, they didn’t just get some motivation; they got all of it, courtesy of Navgire’s soul-shattering innings. 

Navgire, just like Hayley Matthews, stood up when her team needed her the most and silenced the Mumbai fans with one hit after another. There was a deafening silence when the ball hit the middle of the bat and flew, because even the Mumbai fans were busy listening to 'thud'.

“When you play at the top, you get time to build an innings; you hit fours and sixes. There isn’t a lot of pressure; you can play your own innings. I prefer finishing, my game is well-matched for that,” Navgire told Cricket.com before the tournament.

She didn’t just build an innings; she destroyed the innings. She decimated Mumbai Indians’ bowlers like they have never been before. In the history of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), this was only the second time any team had scored a fifty-run partnership at the top of the order against Mumbai. 

Navgire didn’t stop there. She stepped down the ground and smacked Saika Ishaque as well. Amelia Kerr wasn’t spared either. Navgire slogged the absolute leather out of Kerr’s bowling, making the night worse for Mumbai. 

Matthews might have been last year’s Player of the Tournament, but for Navgire, she was just an off-spinner and a bowler she could smash for two sixes in the same over. It wasn't just her smacking the sixes; it was how she had premeditated the massive ones. 

She just walks down the ground, intercepting the ball even before it can spin, and hits it a long mile. 

When she slog sweeps, the crowd is in a spot of bother; it might come booming to hit them. Although she has gotten out thrice doing that, her power is such that when she connects, it goes to Cubbon Park. 

Not a big deal. 

“Even if I open the batting, I should be able to trust myself and my strike rotation. I’m working on different shots, and to access different parts of the ground,” Navgire added in that interview. 

It was visible when she accessed all parts of the ground in her knock. Slog-sweep, hitting down the ground, pull-shot, you could see all of that today in Navgire’s storm here at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. 

Navgire’s fifty came in style when she hit Matthews for a second six. It was the joint-fastest half-century for Warriorz and the only sub-30-ball half-century against Mumbai Indians ever in WPL history. 

Do you want to know the difference? 

Before today, Alice Capsey had the fastest half-century against Mumbai, which came off 36 deliveries. A whopping 11 deliveries difference. If adversities like this bring out the best in a team, Warriorz’ won't mind it. 

“I focus on finishing the matches, it doesn’t matter where I bat. Last year, there was a game where Sophie Devine scored a 99 and won the match for her team,” Navgire added in that interview further. 

“She opened the innings and finished the match, wherever you bat, you have to play to win the game for your team. That’s how you have to plan your game and back your strength. You should play to your strength. 80-90% result will follow. I back my strength.”

Before the clash, in Healy's words, Kiran went to Jon Lewis, asking whether she can open the innings. 

"Jon Lewis (UPW coach) told me that there could be a chance that I could open. I was mentally prepared. As the innings got over, the coach asked me to open, and it made me very happy because I open in domestic (Maharashtra) as well," Navgire opened up on the chat with Lewis in the post-match conference. 

"I just wanted to play my natural game; if pitched up, I would always deposit to the stands. I was just enjoying."

Kiran Navgire arrived, and when she departed, she put UP Warriorz in the best possible position. But somewhere within, the 29-year-old might feel that she has unfinished business. 

So, teams, better watch out for the Navgire show.