Kerala defeat Punjab by 8 wickets in Senior Women's One-Day Trophy

Kerala secured their fourth consecutive win in the Senior Women's One-Day Trophy after defeating Punjab by eight wickets on Saturday. An unbeaten century from Drishya IV helped Kerala chase down the target comfortably.

Punjab's decision to bat first came under pressure early, as Kerala struck from the fourth over itself. The bowlers did not allow Punjab to build any solid partnerships, with only three batters managing double-digit scores.

Riding on an unbeaten 81 from Pragati Singh, and contributions from opener Riddhima Aggarwal (30) and Priya Kumari (28), Punjab posted 186/9 in 50 overs. For Kerala, Mrudhula VS, Darsana Mohanan and Asha S picked up two wickets each.

In reply, Kerala suffered an early setback when captain Shani T was dismissed off the very first ball of the innings. However, Akshaya A and Drishya stitched together a match-winning second-wicket partnership of 148 runs to put Kerala firmly in control. Akshaya fell after scoring 61, but Drishya continued unperturbed.

Batting with composure and authority, Drishya remained unbeaten on 106 off 121 balls, an innings studded with ten boundaries and two sixes. She was well supported by Asha as Kerala reached the target in 42.2 overs, losing just two wickets.