The Mumbai Indians have made history by becoming the first team to secure a playoff spot in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2023 after a resounding victory over the Gujarat Giants by a margin of 55 runs at the Brabourne Stadium on Tuesday, March 14th.
The Mumbai Indians’ captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, played a crucial role in their success, delivering an outstanding performance with the bat. Despite being asked to bat first, Kaur led her team to an unbeaten score of 162/8. In response, the Gujarat Giants struggled to keep up with the pace and were ultimately restricted to a score of 107/9. This was largely due to the impressive bowling performances of Nat Sciver-Brunts, who took 3/21, and Hayley Matthews, who took 3/23.
The Gujarat Giants suffered a major setback in their pursuit of a 163-run target, losing their opener Sophia Dunkley for a golden duck as Nat Sciver-Brunt trapped her English compatriot in front. Unfortunately, the side never really got going as Hayley Matthews removed S Meghana (16) and Annabel Sutherland (0) in quick succession. The Giants, who were heavily reliant on Harleen Deol and Ash Garder, faced a massive dent in their run chase as they lost both Deol and Gardner.
First a crucial knock with the bat and then a match-winning -wicket haul with the ball #TATAWPL | #MIvGG @natsciver was on a roll tonight https://t.co/azEgK92GIt
— Women’s Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) March 14, 2023
Issy Wong trapped Harleen (22) in front, while Amelia Kerr got rid of big-hitter Gardner (8), who is yet to make an impact in the tournament, reducing the Giants to 48/5. The Giants added another 48 runs but lost four wickets along the way as the Mumbai Indians continued to make inroads.
Earlier, the Mumbai Indians suffered an early hiccup as Gardner removed MI’s in-form opener Hayley for a three-ball duck in the very first over. However, Sciver-Brunt and Yastika Bhatia quickly recovered the side with their crucial 74-run stand for the second wicket.
Kim Garth got the much-needed breakthrough for the Gujarat Giants as she trapped Sciver-Brunt (36) in front. One brought two as Yastika ran herself out on 44.
Although wickets were tumbling on one end, Harmanpreet stood tall to take her side to 162/8. Along the way, the MI captain brought up her third fifty in the tournament. For the Gujarat Giants, Ash Gardner returned with three wickets.
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