Mumbai crushes Gujarat to open WPL

Mumbai (Uttam Hindu News): Captain Harmanpreet Kaur (30 balls, 65 runs) stormy half-century and Saika Ishaq (11/4) bowled brilliantly as Mumbai Indians beat Gujarat Giants in the first match of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) on Saturday. Started the tournament with a bang by crushing them by 143 runs. In the first match of the historic inaugural season of WPL, Mumbai set a target of 208 against Gujarat. In reply, Gujarat were bundled out for 64 runs in 15.1 overs.

Harmanpreet lit up the packed DY Patil Stadium, scoring 65 off 30 balls with 14 fours. Apart from this, Amelia Kerr scored an unbeaten 45 off 24 balls with six fours and a six, while Hayley Mathews contributed 47 runs off 31 balls with three fours and four sixes.

Chasing the target, Gujarat had no answer to the killer bowling of Mumbai. From this team, Dayalan Hemlata scored the highest 29 runs in 23 balls with one four and two sixes, while Monika Patel contributed 10 runs in nine balls. Apart from these two, no Gujarat batsman could even touch double figures.

Saika led Mumbai’s bowling, taking four wickets for 11 runs in 3.1 overs. Apart from this, Kerr (2 overs, 12 runs) and Natalie Siever-Brunt (2 overs, 5 runs) took two wickets each while Isi Wong (3 overs, 7 runs) got a breakthrough.
Gujarat won the toss and invited Mumbai to bat and also sent opener Yastika Bhatia to the pavilion for one run. It was his best moment in the match though. After this, Gujarat’s position worsened in front of India’s most successful franchise.
Mathews, along with Siever-Brunt, who came in to bat at number three, began to attack the Gujarat bowlers and added 44 runs at the end of the powerplay. Siever-Brunt and Mathews put on a 54-run partnership for the second wicket, which was broken by Georgia Wareham by dismissing Siever-Brunt. He scored 23 runs off 18 balls with the help of five fours before returning to the pavilion in the ninth over.

Gujarat’s troubles didn’t end here either as Harmanpreet started the attack as soon as she stepped into the crease. Shortly after the fall of Siver-Brunt, Mathews also went back to the pavilion, though Harmanpreet joined Kerr.
Harmanpreet-Ker shared an explosive partnership of 89 runs in 42 balls, chewing the noses of Gujarat bowlers in the middle overs. Harmanpreet played an aggressive role in this partnership and completed his half-century in 22 balls. She was dismissed trying to play a big shot on the last ball of the 17th over, but Kerr did not let the pace of the innings stop. Thanks to Kerr’s brilliance, Mumbai added 41 runs in the last three overs to post a mammoth 207/5 in 20 overs.