WPL: Harmanpreet guides Mumbai home, secures a playoff berth
Mumbai Indians Women continued their winning run in the ongoing Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024 with a seven-wicket win over Gujarat Giants in Match 16 at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. After opting to bat first, Gujarat posted a massive score of 190/7 in their allotted 20 overs riding on half-centuries from captain Beth Mooney (66 off 35) and Dayalan Hemalatha (74 off 40).
In reply, Mumbai chased down the massive score with one ball to spare as captain Harmanpreet Kaur played her best innings of WPL history scoring 95 off 48 balls. She was well supported by Yastika Bhatia (49 off 36) who got her team off to a good start with Hayley Matthews (18 off 21).
Top Performers of the Match
Harmanpreet Kaur (95* off 48)
The Mumbai Indians captain played a scintillating innings of unbeaten 95 off 48 balls and took her team over the line on the penultimate ball. Her innings was studded with ten fours and five gigantic sixes. She got involved in two crucial stands with Yastika Bhatia adding 41 runs off 36 balls for the third wicket and later made a huge contribution of 76 (28) in the 93-run stand with Amelia Kerr (12 off 10) for the fourth wicket.
Saika Ishaque (2/31)
The left-arm spinner was the pick of the bowlers for MI registering figures of 2/31 in four overs. After a massive 121-run stand between Beth Mooney and Dayalan Hemalatha, Ishaque helped MI make a comeback by dismissing Phoebe Litchfield (3 off 4) cheaply. She further got rid of Sneh Rana (1 off 2) in the last over to finish her spell with two wickets.
What’s next for both teams?
Mumbai Indians Women will lock horns with Royal Challengers Bangalore in their last league fixture on Tuesday, March 12. On the other hand, Gujarat will take on UP Warriorz on Monday, March 11.
