MI W vs GG W | Harmanpreet powers Mumbai in high-scoring thriller as Giants taste first defeat

Venkateswaran N

ByVenkateswaran N,SportsCafe Editor

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Mumbai Indians beat Gujarat Titans by seven wickets in the WPL in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s unbeaten half-century took the side home in a high-scoring thriller and condemned the visitors to their first loss this season as Mumbai’s perfect record over Gujarat continued.

Mumbai Indians skipper Harmanpreet Kaur during her unbeaten half-century against Gujarat Giants in the WPL in Navi Mumbai.

‌Harmanpreet Kaur scored her second half-century on the trot as Mumbai Indians beat Gujarat Giants in a high-scoring contest in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday. The home team’s skipper smashed seven fours and two sixes during her unbeaten knock of 71 off just 43 balls as they went past the Gujarat total to end at 193/3, and continued their all-win record over the Giants in the tournament. Incidentally, this was also the Gujarat-based outfit’s first loss this season after winning their first two matches.

After being put in at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, the Giants had a quiet start against pacer Shabnim Ismail, who gave away just one run in the first over. But openers Beth Mooney and Sophie Devine made amends in the next over, the first this season from a returning Hayley Matthews, with two boundaries each to plunder 18 runs. Though the in-form Devine perished in the veteran pacer’s next over, Kanika Ahuja, who was promoted to number three after Anushka Sharma was ruled out with an injury, came up with a stunning assault. The southpaw started with a boundary in her second ball before launching into Matthews with a six and a four in her second over. Meanwhile, Mooney also joined the action after a slow start with a couple of boundaries as the Titans ended the six-over powerplay at 62/1. But the veteran Australian was dismissed in the very next over, but Kanika (35 off 18) continued to find boundaries, in the company of skipper Ashleigh Gardner, taking Amanjot Kaur and Amelia Kerr for 13 and 14 runs, respectively. But both set batters were dismissed in consecutive overs, against the run of play, just as the Giants stood on the verge of crossing the 100-run mark. As a result, the new pair of Georgia Wareham and Ayushi Soni could manage only 37 runs in the next six overs before the latter was retired out for Bharti Fulmali to walk in. The move worked as the pair added an unbeaten 56 runs, including 39 in the last two, to set the home side a challenging target of 193. While Wareham top-scored for the side with four fours and a six during her 33-ball 43, Fulmali smashed 36, including three sixes and fours, at an astronomical strike rate of 240. On the bowling front, all the MI bowlers except for Amanjot Kaur and Sanskriti Gupta ended with a wicket apiece.

In reply, the MI openers Kamalini and Matthews were cautious against the new ball duo of Renuka Singh and Kashvee Gautham. The young batter was caught short of her crease by a brilliant piece of wicketkeeping by Mooney, who stood up to the stumps for Renuka. But Matthews was unperturbed from the other end as she welcomed left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad into the attack with a couple of boundaries before taking Kashvee past the ropes with a monster hit. But just as she was looking for another big one, the West Indies all-rounder ended up skying it to Devine at fine leg. But new batter Amanjot Kaur ended the powerplay with two boundaries as MI were placed at 48/2 after six overs. She continued to rake in the boundary shots, with captain Harmanpreet Kaur also joining her younger partner. The pair targeted the spin duo of Georgia Wareham and Tanuja Kanwer smashing 26 runs in their two overs. And with 105 runs required in the last 10 overs, the MI skipper stepped the gas further with two maximums in the next two overs. Though Amanjot departed for a 26-ball 40, which included seven boundaries, the veteran batter kept chipping away with the Women in Blue still needing 59 from the last five. Meanwhile, Nicola Carey smashed four boundaries of Renuka in a 20-run over to turn the match in favour of the Mumbai-based outfit. From then on there was no turning back as the MI closed out the match with four balls to spare with Carey remaining unbeaten on 38, taking the side home along with the skipper.

What a chase

Superb

Champions

Stay perfect

Consecutive wins

Winning moment

WPL rewritten

Another one

Just wins

Too good

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