WPL, UPW vs MI | Twitter lauds Mumbai for brushing past UP by 72-runs to set up final against Delhi

SportsCafe Desk

BySportsCafe Desk, SportsCafe Editor

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Mumbai Indians hardly broke a sweat on Friday in their playoff encounter against UP Warriorz as they cruised to a huge victory to keep their hopes of claiming the first-ever WPL alive. Natalie Sciver-Brunt starred with the bat with her 72 before Issy Wong decimated the opposition with four wickets.

Mumbai Indians clinched a place in the final with a dominant 72-run victory over UP Warriorz at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy on Friday. The record crowd at the venue were treated to an English masterclass as internationals Natalie Sciver-Brunt and Issy Wong carried the team in their hunt for the maiden WPL title. Being sent in to bat first by opposition skipper Alyssa Healy, an undeterred Mumbai cruised to their second-highest total in the tournament by posting 182/4 on the board before skittling out the opposition for a paltry 110.

Yastika Bhatia and Healy Matthews set the foundation for their team with an 18-ball 21 and a run-a-ball 26 respectively before Natalie Sciver-Brunt took the reigns of the match. Her sheer power and sound technique helped her find the boundary rope nine times while also clearing the fence on two occasions. The aggressive exploits saw her end the innings not-out on 72, taking just 38 deliveries and striking at a sensational 189.47. Cameos by Amelia Kerr and Pooja Vastrakar proved to be handy as well, the former striking 29 runs off 19 balls while Vastrakar's last-over antics helped her tally 11 runs in four deliveries.

The franchise was even more lethal with the ball as they kept scalping wickets at regular intervals. Having lost skipper Alyssa Healy and fellow opener Shweta Sehrawat cheaply, the side was handed a major blow when maverick all-rounder Tahlia McGrath was caught short off the crease courtesy of some brilliant fielding by Amanjot Kaur. Already down to 21/3 after 4.1 overs, the Lucknow-based franchise was offered some hope by a counterattacking Kiran Navgire innings. The Indian batter recorded the second-longest six of the tournament so far during her 27-ball 43 but her eventual dismissal triggered a giant collapse for the team. A history-making Issy Wong hattrick, the first ever in WPL, saw the side crumble from 84/4 to 84/7, and the hosts eventually wrapped up proceedings to reinstate their title of favourites for the trophy.

 Mumbai Indians will take on Delhi Capitals in the summit clash at the Brabourne Stadium on Sunday, beginning at 7:30 PM IST. 

89 that!

Second biggest!

Monster hit

Worth much more

Fire Navgire

Final faceoff

Congrats

Finals decided!

Ready to create history

Semis done!

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