At the Arun Jaitley Stadium, the Mumbai Indians demonstrated their return to form on Thursday in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) season two, defeating the UP Warriorz by a commanding 42 runs.
Batting first, the Mumbai Indians suffered an early blow as openers Hayley Matthews and Yastika Bhatia of the UP Warriorz were removed by a blistering spell from Chamari Athapaththu. But despite the initial sway, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet Kaur’s vital cooperation helped the ship stay steady and withstand Athapaththu’s fury.
Sciver-Brunt helped them finish the powerplay on 37 for 2 by using the depth of the crease to counter the spin of Athapaththu, Grace Harris, and Rajeshwari Gayakwad. Harmanpreet and Sciver-Brunt combined for 59 off 46 for the third wicket.
The Mumbai Indians’ bottom order, led by Amelia Kerr and S Sajana, proved their worth despite losing crucial wickets towards the end. Their partnership, worth 43 off just 26, added crucial runs to help their team reach a formidable total of 160 for 6 in 20 overs. The Mumbai Indians scored 38 off the last four overs.
The Mumbai Indians did not take long to establish their authority when they had the ball. They delivered early blows and skillfully dismantled the Warriorz top order, led by the speed combination of Saika Ishaque and Shabnim Ismail. The Warriorz were stunned by Ismail’s deadly delivery that dismissed Alyssa Healy for three, and it set the stage for an impressive bowling performance.
For six consecutive overs, Harmanpreet operated with Ismail and Matthews, allowing Warriorz to muster just eighteen for two.
Despite Deepti Sharma’s heroic half-century for the Warriorz, the Mumbai Indians’ constant attack was too much to manage. In particular, Saika Ishaque excelled with the ball, taking three vital wickets to thwart the Warriorz’s pursuit and guarantee her team’s resounding victory.
Grace Harris smashed a six off the fifteenth ball, but Ishaque got rid of her in the tenth over. Harris hit Ishaque for a six over long-on, much like Navgire did, but she was bowled when she missed the next. Harris and Deepti’s 31-ball partnership was the longest for Warriorz, despite only being worth 26. The second-longest eighth-wicket partnership for 37 came from Deepti and Uma Chetry, who shared 26 balls.
Player of the Match went to Brunt for his all-around performance, which included 45 at bat and two wickets off the ball.
Ishaque grabbed three wickets in the WPL 2024 after being without a wicket for three games.
Read More
Women’s Day: How India’s women’s cricket game is maturing thanks to the Women’s Premier League
WPL 2024: The Giants win their first game thanks to Mooney and Wolvaardt’s opening tandem