Navi Mumbai: In a mismatch of epic proportions, Mumbai Indians crushed Gujarat Giants by 143 runs to stamp their authority with an all-round show as the Women's Premier League got underway here on Saturday. After posting a mammoth 207/5, powered by captain Harmanpreet Kaur's sensational 30-ball 65 laced with 14 boundaries, Mumbai Indians' bowlers led by Saika Ishaque (4/11) produced a superb show to restrict Gujarat Giants to just 64/9 in 15.1 overs and make a dream start to the competition.
Gujarat Giants captain Beth Mooney suffered an injury in the first over and retired hurt after initial checkup on the field, and could not return to bat again. Mumbai Indians not only dominated Gujarat Giants right from the start but also showcased their aggressive style of play both with the bat and the ball in the first game itself, delighting a fairly-packed crowd.
India and Mumbai Indians captain Kaur recorded the first-ever half-century of WPL with stunning strokeplay and added 89 runs from just 42 balls with New Zealand's Amelia Kerr (45 not out from 24 balls, 6x4s, 1x6) after Hayley Matthews provided the initial fireworks. Kaur's innings was straight out of textbook for all the domestic players watching in her team, competition and beyond. She found gaps at will, connected the ball perfectly, and did not give a single chance to the opposition bowlers to capitalise.
But before Kaur's onslaught, it was the aggressive West Indies batter Matthews who looked set to score the first fifty of the tournament but unfortunately fell just three runs short. Matthews smoked 4 sixes and 3 fours to make 47 from 31 balls and added 54 runs for the second wicket with Nat Sciver-Brunt, an association that laid the platform for a strong first-innings total for the winning side.
England star Sciver-Brunt was in her elements on Saturday night as after smoking 5 fours for her 18-ball 23, she returned an opening spell of 2-0-5-2 that helped derail the Gujarat Giants off the track. It was certainly a forgettable first outing for Gujarat Giants who did not have much to cheer about.
After their bowlers were hammered all over the park for a grand total of 31 fours and 6 sixes by the Mumbai Indians, the wheels came off completely when they were left tottering at 23/6 after 7.1 overs. With the pounding received in the first half of the game, the matters became worse for the Gujarat Giants as soon as their chase began.
In the first over, Gujarat Giants' captain and arguably the best batter in the side, Mooney retired hurt after facing only her third ball. She is believed to have injured her left knee after making a few paces for a run but deciding against it. On the final delivery, Nat Sciver-Brunt drew the first blood getting Harleen Deol caught at deep third man for a two-ball duck.
The England player returned in the third over to hurt Gujarat Giants further, this time cleaning up opening batter Sabbhineni Meghana for a 4-ball 2. But before they lost Meghana, Gujarat Giants had suffered a huge blow in the form of Ashleigh Gardner, with Hayley Matthews taking a sharp catch at the first slip off the right-arm pacer Issy Wong to walk back for a golden duck.
Saika Ishaque removed Annabel Sutherland (6) in the fifth over, and returned in the seventh over of the innings to clean up Georgia Wareham (8), making the most of the pressure created by the impressive right-arm seamer Wong from the other end, who gave no room for scoring in her first spell (3-0-7-1). The left-arm orthodox spinner Saika returned with 3.1-1-11-4.
The pair of Dayalan Hemlatha (29 not out) and Mansi Joshi (6) did their best to delay the inevitable, but Mumbai Indians completed the win with 29 balls to spare. Earlier in the game, Gujarat Giants' skipper Mooney decided to take up wicketkeeping duties something which she hasn't done regularly in her career and invited Mumbai Indians to bat after winning the toss.
Mooney's side made plenty of errors in the field, with the bowlers straying down the leg side more often than not in the first half and fielding poorly, which in a way highlighted the lack of time and opportunity that the WPL teams have got in the lead-up to the tournament. But before all of that, WPL began with the familiar razzmatazz of a glittering opening ceremony featuring Bollywood actresses Kiara Advani and Kirti Sanon, who performed alongside singer AP Dhillon and the evening sky was lit up by spectacular fireworks. (PTI)
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Navi Mumbai: Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur led the way with a scintillating 30-ball 65 as Mumbai Indians scored an imposing 207 for five against Gujarat Giants in the first-ever match of the Women's Premier League here on Saturday. Sent into bat by rival captain Beth Mooney, MI were off to a flying start despite losing Yastika Bhatia in the third over. Hayley Matthews smashed 47 off 31 balls before the Indian captain took over. In the company of Amelia Kerr (45 off 24 balls), Harmanpreet scored runs at a brisk pace to set their opponents a stiff target.
Brief scores:
Mumbai Indians: 207/5 in 20 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 65, Hayley Matthews 47, Amelia Kerr 45 not out; Sneh Rana 2/43).
WPL Scoreboard: GG vs MI
Mumbai Indians Women Innings:
Yastika Bhatia c Wareham b Tanuja Kanwar 1
Hayley Matthews b Gardner 47
Nat Sciver-Brunt c Sneh Rana b Wareham 23
Harmanpreet Kaur c Hemalatha b Sneh Rana 65
Amelia Kerr not out 45
Pooja Vastrakar c Monica Patel b Sneh Rana 15
Issy Wong not out 6
Extras: (B-1, W-4) 5
Total: (5 wkts, 20 Overs) 207
Fall of Wickets: 15-1, 69-2, 77-3, 166-4, 201-5
Bowler: Ashleigh Gardner 4-0-38-1, Mansi Joshi 2-0-17-0, Tanuja Kanwar 2-0-12-1, Monica Patel 2-0-34-0, Georgia Wareham 3-0-30-1, Annabel Sutherland 3-0-32-0, Sneh Rana 4-0-43-2.
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Gujarat Giants won the toss and opted to field against Mumbai Indians at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai.
The captains:
Harmanpreet Kaur: It's a special day for all of us, want to enjoy this moment. This is a good wicket to bat on, but there will be something in it for the bowlers as well. We have some young players who'll be featuring today and we're looking forward to seeing how they play.
Beth Mooney: We will bowl. Looks pretty even with the grass, it's a hard and flat surface, plenty of runs here. Absolutely thrilled to be part of (WPL), a big crowd and I'm loving it. We have an entertaining group, we speak a lot about cricket. We have had the experience of playing in front of a big crowd, we can pass it on to the younger members. Three seamers and four spinners in our playing XI today, looking at taking some early wickets.
Teams:
Mumbai Indians Women (Playing XI): Hayley Matthews, Yastika Bhatia(w), Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amelia Kerr, Amanjot Kaur, Pooja Vastrakar, Humaira Kazi, Issy Wong, Jintimani Kalita, Saika Ishaque
Gujarat Giants (Playing XI): Beth Mooney(w/c), Sabbhineni Meghana, Harleen Deol, Ashleigh Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, Dayalan Hemalatha, Georgia Wareham, Sneh Rana, Tanuja Kanwar, Monica Patel, Mansi Joshi
- The WPL trophy has been unveiled.
- Now the song that the nation has been grooving on for quite sometime now, especially during the sporting events... Any guesses? Well, it's Chak De India, and Kriti Sanon perfection comes to the fore with a splendid performance.
- Kiara Advani is making the audience groove to her brilliant dance performance.
- Bollywood divas will perform to the tunes of Indian songs at the opening ceremony. The big names include Kriti Sanon and Kiara Advani among others who have been roped in to enthrall the crowd with their astounding show of skills.
India's women cricketers will not only get the much-needed exposure to take their game to the next level but also enjoy the perks of a cash-rich tournament when the Women's Premier League (WPL) ushers in a new dawn for the sport in the country. The 21-match tournament will commence on Saturday with Gujarat Giants taking on India captain Harmanpreet Kaur-led Mumbai Indians in the tournament-opener.
The inaugural edition of the T20 league some would argue was long overdue will feature a total of five teams and 87 players, with girls as young as a little above 15 set to ply their trade with and against some the best in the world. The competition consists of an overall 21 matches including two knockout games, and will be played across two venues in Mumbai, with the iconic Brabourne Stadium being the other.
WPL has created a compelling buzz in the world of cricket, with the five franchises being sold for a grand total of INR 4,669 crore, which includes Adani Group's purchase of the Gujarat franchise for a whopping INR 1,289 crore.
The player auction witnessed a total of INR 59.50 crore spent by the five franchises, not only providing the players with a further boost to their financial being, but also ensuring a promising road ahead to young girls whose India's star batter Smriti Mandhana was the most expensive buy at the auction held in Mumbai Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) bought her for INR 3.4 crore and expectedly named her the captain.
The franchise, which has always put its trust on big names of the cricket world but yet to win a title in the men's league, added Sophie Devine and Ellyse Perry to continue the tradition. The second costliest team in the league at INR 912.99 crore, Mumbai Indians will embark on their WPL 2023 journey hoping to emulate the unprecedented heights and glory achieved by their men's counterparts, who have won a record five IPL titles.
