Natalie Sciver. (Photo Source: Twitter/WPL)
Mumbai Indians women continued their dream run with a big 55-run win over Gujarat Giants in the 12th match of the ongoing Women’s Premier League 2023 (WPL) on Tuesday, March 14. A quick fifty from captain Harmanpreet Kaur and crucial 44 runs from Yastika Bhatia helped Mumbai Indians score 162/8 while batting first. Then the star all-rounders Natalie Sciver-Brunt and Hayley Matthews impressed with the ball to restrict Gujarat Giants to just 107/9.
Giants’ skipper Sneh Rana won the toss and elected to bowl first at Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium. Sophia Dunkley and Annabel Sutherland replaced Laura Wolvaardt and Georgia Wareham for Giants while Mumbai Indians remained unchanged from their big eight-wicket win over UP Warriorz.
Ashleigh Gardner dismissed in-form Hayley Matthews for a duck on Mumbai’s innings’ first over to give Gujarat Giants a flying start. But Yastika and Sciver-Brunt pulled off a crucial 74-run stand for the second wicket to put Mumbai Indians on track for a big total. Mumbai lost both the settled batters within a gap of seven balls as Giants tried to make a comeback in the middle overs.
But Harmanpreet smashed 51 off 30 to record her second consecutive fifty as Mumbai Indians posted a challenging total. Gardner took three wickets for 34 while Kim Garth, Sneh Rana, and Tanuja Kanwar picked one each for Giants.
Sciver-Brunt dismissed returning Dunkley for a golden duck to add early pressure on Gujarat Giants in their chase. Hayley then put Mumbai in the driving seat with two big wickets of Sabbineni Meghana and Sutherland in the sixth over.
Issy Wong removed Harleen Deol in the ninth over and Kerr took Gardner’s valuable wicket in the following over to completely kill the game for Giants. Sneh Rana tried to avoid an embarrassing defeat by scoring 20 off 19 before getting out to a Sciver-Brunt delivery in the 15th over.
Hayley and Sciver-Brunt took three wickets each to restrict Giants to just 107/9. A win further boosted Mumbai Indians’ top spot on the WPL points table and has helped them secure a place in the playoffs while Gujarat Giants remain on the fourth position with just one win from five games so far.
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