Star India batter Priya Punia continues to dominate the women’s domestic cricket circuit, delivering a masterclass in consistency. Despite being away from the national team setup for over a year, she has now notched her fifth century in just a month and a half.
Priya Punia's century spree continues
The match began with North East Zone opting to bat first, but they were quickly overwhelmed by a disciplined bowling attack. Preeti Bose spearheaded the collapse, tearing through the lineup to claim a five-wicket haul. North East Zone was eventually bundled out for a meager 102 runs, setting the stage for a straightforward chase for the North Zone openers.
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North Zone’s response was clinical, led by a strong opening partnership between Pragya Rawat and Punia. The duo put on 77 runs before North East skipper Debasmita Dutta managed to break the stand by dismissing Rawat. However, Punia remained unfazed, continuing to anchor the innings alongside Tanisha Singh. The pair added 90 runs for the second wicket, with Singh contributing a solid 61 before falling to Thoudam Niruta.
Priya Punia tonks 5th century in one and a half month
Punia then navigated further partnerships with captain Shweta Sehrawat and Ayushi Soni to keep the scoreboard ticking. By the time Niruta finally claimed her wicket, Punia had amassed a brilliant 119 runs, an innings highlighted by 13 elegant boundaries. Her performance ensured a commanding position for North Zone, continuing her remarkable run of form this season.
North Zone's innings concluded at 301, largely due to a standout bowling performance from Niruta, who claimed six wickets to restrict the scoring. Despite this, North East Zone found themselves in a precarious position during their second turn at the crease. By the latest update, they had stumbled to 36/4 after 40 overs, still trailing by 163 runs in a heavily one-sided contest.
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Adding to her dominant day with the bat, Priya Punia made an immediate impact with the ball. After not bowling in the first innings, she struck with just her second delivery in the second, dismissing Kalpana for only three runs and ending her lengthy 62-ball resistance. This versatile display further highlighted Punia's value to the North Zone side.
This latest century is part of an extraordinary run of form for Punia, marking her fifth hundred in just 14 innings since February 2026. In addition to these centuries against Goa, Saurashtra, Kerala, and North East Zone, she has also recorded four half-centuries during this period. Such prolific scoring comes as she looks to re-establish her place in the national conversation.
Punia's international journey began in 2019, though her opportunities in the shortest format were limited to three modest T20I appearances. While she hasn't featured in a T20I since then, she remained active in the T20 circuit through 2024, notably touring Australia with the India A squad. Although she is yet to make her debut in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), she previously made eight appearances in the Women’s T20 Challenge.