WPL Match 12, Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Giants – Talking Points and Who Said What?

Harmanpreet Kaur (Photo Source: Twitter)

Mumbai Indians (MI) registered a stunning 55-run win over Gujarat Giants (GUJ) in the 2023 Women’s Premier League (WPL) match no 12 at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday, March 14. MI skipper Harmanpreet Kaur scored a match-winning half-century and took her side to qualify for the playoffs. They have now won all five matches and are standing on top of the points table.

Gujarat Giants opted to bowl first after winning the toss. Ashleigh Gardner was the standout bowler for Giants, dismissing MI opener Hayley Matthews for a duck. She later removed Harmanpreet and Amanjot Kaur on consecutive balls in the final over. Earlier, Giants’ stand-in skipper Sneh Rana, Kim Garth, and Tanuja Kanwar picked one wicket each as MI scored 162/8.

In the chase, Gujarat Giants crumbled to 107/9 in the allotted 20 overs, with Hayley Matthews and Nat Sciver-Brunt scalping three wickets each. Earlier, Harmanpreet led her team from the front scoring 51 off 30 balls. Apart from the skipper, Yastika Bhatia scored 44 (37), while Sciver-Brunt chipped in with a crucial 36 (31), as the duo added a 74-run partnership for the second wicket.

Harmanpreet Kaur’s knock helps MI win

Harmanpreet Kaur played an impressive knock against Gujarat Giants. She scored 51 off 30 balls in Mumbai’s innings before getting out to Ashleigh Gardner. The right-handed batter smashed seven fours and two sixes during her stay in the middle. By virtue of her match-winning innings, she emerged as the Player of the Match for the second consecutive time.

Nat Sciver-Brunt registers best bowling figures

Nat Sciver-Brunt has displayed some brilliant bowling against Gujarat Giants. She picked up three wickets-  Sophia Dunkley, Sneh Rana, and Kim Garth. She gave away only 21 runs in the four overs she bowled. With the bat, she scored a crucial 36 off 31, including one maximum and five boundaries.

Losing captain, Sneh Rana said:

I am proud of the girls for restricting MI to 162, it was a good start, but unfortunately we couldn’t get there. It was a chaseable score. Definitely, batters need to focus right through, need to build at least two partnerships, Harleen was fantastic today in the field, she took a catch and effected a run-out. We will definitely work on our batting.

Player of the Match and winning captain, Harmanpreet Kaur said:

Credit goes to all the support staff and team-mates. The way we have been playing, we want to continue. We are so positive and they always want to do well for the team. When we got this team, I was really happy, they were doing well for the country and now they will do the same for MI. The positivity is giving all the results. When we played last game on this wicket, initially you are not going to get runs. Once you get settled you will get runs. That’s what I did today. Whatever which is giving results is what I’m doing. Sometimes you have to see the boundary dimensions as well. The leg-side is short and a medium-pacer was bowling and that’s why I went and the last-over anyway you need to go, but this was the longer boundary and I could not clear.

Nat Sciver-Brunt said:

No. We have already qualified? Amazing! Every side has their strengths but we are in form. I’m, I’m enjoying it, I did not get the ball to swing as much tonight, maybe it’s the dew. The dew is finally here, it’s good to open the bowling and put the pressure from the start. The wickets will be a bit slow from now on then, getting used to it will be a little tricky, but it was good to post a total. We are trying to be consistent. Try and take each game as it comes. Not to be too complacent. We are playing from our heart and enjoying ourselves. It’s a different surface, the seam bowlers seem to be getting wickets. We will see when we get there [on the surface at DY Patil Stadium].