India all-rounder Deepti Sharma excelled in all the three departments as Bengal pipped Andhra by 10 runs to clinch their maiden Senior Women's One-Day League title in Bengaluru on Monday.
Deepti, who scored 34 while opening the batting, was also involved in K Jyothi and Saranya Godwal's run out in the death overs to bundle out Andhra for 187.
The off-spinner also shone with the ball returning with figures of 3/33 to give them a perfect New Year gift.
Sent into bat, Bengal were going steady at 57 for no loss but Paramita Roy and Deepti got out midway into their innings as the Andhra bowling led by C H Jhansi Lakshmi (3/40) snatched the momentum.
With wickets falling at regular intervals, Mandira Mohapatra played a crucial knock of 39 from 53 balls, while skipper Jhulan Goswami made a quick 21 off 25 balls.
Seamer Shubh Lakshmi (2/29) gave Bengal an early breakthrough by removing opener Jhansi Lakshmi in the fourth over to reduce Andhra to 10/1.
But after that wicket, skipper N Anusha (61) built two crucial partnerships to keep Andhra alive.
A 68-run partnership came with Pushpa Latha while E Padmaja also supported with 64-ball 38 to put on another 51-run stand with Anusha.
Anusha's gritty innings came to an end in the 37th when she was run out by Mandira and Bengal bowlers grabbed that opportunity to seize the momentum.
Terming this as one of the best New year gifts, veteran Jhulan said it was like a dream come true for her.
"I achieved my dream today so it's a big thing for me. I always share my experiences with the girls and I am very lucky that I share the dressing room with talented players. Having players like Deepti, Shubh Lakshmi in the team always makes the task easier," Jhulan said.
"We played good cricket throughout the tournament and had a good match today also. Our win against Railways in the semifinals gave us a lot of confidence," she added.
The Cricket Association of Bengal also announced a cash reward of Rs 20 lakh for the side -- one lakh to each player and 50 thousand to the support staff.
"Many Congratulations to our women's cricket team for making history today by winning BCCI Senior Women's One Day League for the first time," CAB joint secretary Avishek Dalmiya said.
"Perhaps there couldn't have been a better New Year Gift to the Association by the eves. The entire women's cricket team has earned much love and respect with their spectacular performance."
Brief Scores:
Bengal 198/7 in 50 overs (Mandira Mohapatra 39 not out Deepti Sharma 34, Paramita Roy 32; C H Jhansi Lakshmi 3/40) vs Andhra 187 in 49.1 overs (N Anusha 61; Sharma 3/33, Shubh Lakshmi 2/29). Bengal won by 10 runs.
