WPL 2023: Harmanpreet, bowlers assist Mumbai thrash Gujarat in season opener

Harmanpreet Kaur introduced again reminiscences of a night in Bengaluru, 15 summers in the past, when Brendon McCullum unleashed havoc on the Royal Challengers Bangalore bowlers to set the tone for the inaugural version of the boys’s Indian Premier League.

AS IT HAPPENED: GG VS MI WPL 2023 1ST MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

And on Saturday night, Harmanpreet hammered 14 fours en path to an aesthetic 65 off simply 30 balls within the Women’s Premier League opener towards Gujarat Giants and paved the way in which for Mumbai Indians’ 143-run win on the DY Patil Stadium.

As the Mumbai captain left the Gujarat bowlers clueless and went on to change into the primary participant to attain a half-century within the match, the social media went abuzz with followers drawing comparisons of her fiery knock with McCullum’s iconic 73-ball-158. Though Harmanpreet clearly would do not know of such comparisons, she made it some extent to information Mumbai to a mammoth 207-5 earlier than her bowlers bundled out Gujarat Giants for a meagre 64-9.

Put in to bat by rival captain Beth Mooney, Mumbai was off to a flier regardless of dropping opener Yastika Bhatia within the third over. Hayley Matthews (47, 31b, 3×4, 4×6) steadied the innings earlier than the India captain took cost. Making essentially the most of Giants’ shoddy fielding, Harmanpreet hit seven fours off successive deliveries in her innings to forge a vital 89-run partnership with Amelia Kerr (45 n.o., 24b, 6×4, 1×6).

As the Giants’ bowlers struggled to discover a breakthrough, Mumbai picked up 130 runs within the final ten overs. To add to its woes, the Giants had a poor present on the sector and making most of these alternatives, Harmanpreet placed on an assault, earlier than being caught at quick third by Dayalan Hemalatha off a Sneh Rana supply. Kerr, nonetheless, saved the scoreboard ticking with a little bit of help from Pooja Vastrakar.

However, on a floor that appeared to learn the batters, Giants nonetheless had hope. But issues went topsy-turvy for the Gujarat outfit as its skipper Mooney walked off the sector after injuring her knee on the fourth supply of the innings. Harleen Deol, too, did not open her account and was dismissed by Nat Sciver-Brunt on the final supply of the primary over.

Thereon, not one of the Giants batters might step up, and because the recreation progressed, the crew meekly surrendered, dropping seven wickets inside eight overs, with simply 23 runs on the board. As spinner, Saika Ishaque claimed 4 wickets (4 for 11), and Sciver-Brunt and Kerr bagged two wickets apiece, the Giants’ lower-order fell in fast succession. None of the batters – besides Hemalatha (29 n.o.) and Monica Patel (10) – might attain double digits.

With the captain injured and controversy surrounding the exclusion of Deandra Dottin, the Giants have little or no time to regroup earlier than it meets UP Warriorz on the similar venue on Sunday night.