New Delhi, March 10: Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur led from the front with an unbeaten 95 as she helped Mumbai Indians come up with a strong finish and overcome Gujarat Giants by seven wickets in Match 16 of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday.
With this win, Mumbai Indians rose to the top of the points table and also qualified for the Playoffs, raising 10 points from seven matches, winning five wins and losing two. After suffering their fifth defeat in six matches, Gujarat Giants remained at the bottom of the points table with two points.
Electing to bat first, Gujarat Giants posted a strong score of 190/7 in 20 overs, riding on blazing half-centuries by skipper Beth Mooney (66 off 35 balls) and Dayalan Hemalatha (74 off 40 balls).
In reply, Mumbai Indians were down to 98/3 in the 14th over before Harmanpreet Kaur and Amelia Kerr raised 93 runs for the fourth wicket, scoring 75 runs in 30-odd balls with Harmanpreet Kaur going great guns. Mumbai Indians eventually managed to reach 191/3 with just one ball to spare.
Mumbai Indians had started their chase of the target of 191 on a bring note with Yastika Bhatia (49) and Hayley Matthews (18) raising 50 runs for the opening wicket before Matthews was out, caught by Sneh Rana off Tanuja Kanwar. Nat Sciver-Brunt also fell quickly, caught by Sneh Rana off Shahnam MD with the score reading 57.
Yastika and Harmanpreet took the score to 98 runs before the former was caught and bowled by Ashleigh Gardner for 49, her knock coming off 36 balls, hitting eight boundaries and one six.
Harmanpreet Kaur continued to keep Mumbai Indians hopes alive, scoring runs freely as she completed her half-century off 33 balls, hitting six boundaries and one maximum. Harmanpreet and Amelia Kerr added 50 runs for the fourth wicket off just 22 balls with Harman blazing 36 runs and Kerr adding nine runs in the process.
Mumbai Indians reached 150 runs in the 18th over and went on as Harmanpreet Kaur changed the complexion of the match by hammering 24 runs off the 18th over bowled by Sneh Rana. With 47 runs needed off 18 balls, Harmanpreet Kaur struck Rana for three fours and two sixes off her India teammate. She struck Tajuna Kanwar for a six in the next over as Mumbai Indians scored 10 runs. (IANS)
