In the early stages of this year’s Women’s Premier League (WPL), Harmanpreet Kaur appears to have turned crisis management into routine. For the second match in a row, Mumbai Indians found themselves wobbling early, and for the second time in three days, their captain calmly took charge.
After rescuing MI from 51 for two with an unbeaten 74 against Delhi Capitals, Harmanpreet walked out again on Tuesday with the chase threatening to unravel at 37 for two, this time against Gujarat Giants while facing a target of 193.
Captain’s knock
She began cautiously, conscious of the asking rate and the wickets lost, before shifting gears once she found her rhythm. The momentum turned in the ninth over when she took on Georgia Wareham, followed by a decisive assault on Renuka Thakur in the 11th. Using the long-on boundary smartly, Harmanpreet carved a four and then a six to revive MI’s innings and steady the chase.
She continued to target the straight boundaries, launching Ashleigh Gardner for a maximum in the 12th over before keeping the pressure on with nine runs off Tanuja Kanwer in the 14th. Harmanpreet brought up her half-century off 33 balls in the 17th over, but with the equation still demanding, the job was far from finished.
If Harmanpreet’s innings was a lesson in pacing, the support around her ensured the chase did not drift. Amanjot Kaur played the ideal foil, scoring 40 off 26 balls with seven boundaries, stitching together a decisive 72-run stand in 44 balls with her captain that formed the backbone of the chase.
After Amanjot’s dismissal, Nicola Carey ensured there were no late stutters. Walking in during the 13th over, the left-hander took Renuka apart in the 16th, collecting four boundaries and a four through leg-byes to decisively swing the game MI’s way. Carey remained unbeaten on 38 off 23 balls, adding 84 runs with Harmanpreet to lead MI to their eighth win over GG in the WPL.
Ahuja, Fulmali sparkle
Sophie Devine had arrived as Gujarat Giants’ leading run-scorer after strong starts in the opening two matches. Once again tasked with setting the tone in the powerplay, she endured her first low score of the season, falling for eight in the third over to Shabnim Ismail.
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At the toss, GG captain Ashleigh Gardner spoke about the importance of Indian players stepping up in the WPL. With Devine out cheaply, Kanika Ahuja briefly underlined that promise.
Walking in at No. 3, she struck 14 off her first five balls, including 10 off Hayley Mathews, before falling for 35 off 18 balls. After MI’s bowlers pulled things back to leave GG at 130 for five after 15 overs, Bharti Fulmali provided a late flourish, smashing 36 off 15 balls and taking 20 runs off Amanjot Kaur in the final over to lift Gujarat to a competitive 192 after 20 overs.
Brief Scores: Gujarat Giants 192/5 in 20 overs (Wareham 43, Fulmali 36 not out) lost to Mumbai Indians 193/3 in 19.2 overs (Kaur 71 not out, Amanjot 40) by seven wickets.
