Gaud began her debut WPL season with UP Warriorz quietly, leaking 37 runs in four overs over two games her team lost. But her captain, Deepti Sharma, persisted with her, trusting the promise she had seen in Gaud's ability to seam the ball in domestic games.
On a Chinnaswamy surface that rewarded movement, Gaud found her moment. Meg Lanning cracked her first ball for four, a reminder of the stage and the stakes. Two deliveries later Gaud ripped one back in to rattle the stumps. Soon after, Shafali Verma was out to a sharp short ball, leaving Capitals jolted in the powerplay.
When Jemimah Rodrigues' innings threatened to make the chase of 178 look somewhat realistic again, Gaud returned. In the 15th over she removed Jess Jonassen and Rodrigues, effectively breaking the backbone of the pursuit.
It was a spell shaped by discipline and self-belief - one that not only sealed the match but also signalled the emergence of a new name in the league.
Key moment
Dismissing Lanning - beaten for pace and cleaned up - for her maiden WPL wicket had set the tone, but it was Gaud's final over that truly turned the game. Capitals needed 76 off 36, with Rodrigues set to take the game deep. Gaud first struck with a sharp caught-and-bowled to remove Jess Jonassen. Then Rodrigues backed away, looking to loft over extra cover, but only managed to slice it high. That put Capitals on 111 for 6, and their chase unravelled as Warriorz dismissed them for 144.
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The numbers
1 Gaud's position on the table of best bowling figures in an innings by an Indian in WPL 2025.
4 Number of bowlers who took four or more wickets in a match in the WPL season.
The closest contender
Lauren Bell
4 for 6 vs Welsh Fire, the Hundred, Southampton
Bell's match-defining spell helped table-toppers Southern Brave defend a modest total of 106. Welsh Fire seemed to have it in the bag at 50 for 1 off 55 balls, but they then lost four wickets for six runs in just 13 deliveries, two of those to Bell, as the slow, low pitch made strokeplay difficult. Bell's seam work, combined with sharp fielding - including Freya Kemp's brilliant run-out of Georgia Elwiss - turned the tide in a game that could easily have gone either way. With 19 wickets at the end of the match, Bell became the tournament's highest wicket-taker.
4 for 6 vs Welsh Fire, the Hundred, Southampton
Bell's match-defining spell helped table-toppers Southern Brave defend a modest total of 106. Welsh Fire seemed to have it in the bag at 50 for 1 off 55 balls, but they then lost four wickets for six runs in just 13 deliveries, two of those to Bell, as the slow, low pitch made strokeplay difficult. Bell's seam work, combined with sharp fielding - including Freya Kemp's brilliant run-out of Georgia Elwiss - turned the tide in a game that could easily have gone either way. With 19 wickets at the end of the match, Bell became the tournament's highest wicket-taker.