NEW DELHI: Captain
Harmanpreet Kaur
played a blistering unbeaten innings of 95, propelling Mumbai Indians to a convincing seven-wicket victory over
Gujarat Giants
in their
Women’s Premier League
(
WPL
) match in Delhi on Saturday.
This triumph secured Mumbai Indians’ spot as the first team to qualify for the playoffs.
Chasing Gujarat’s total of 190 for seven, Harmanpreet’s explosive knock came in just 48 balls, featuring 10 fours and five sixes.
Alongside opener
Yastika Bhatia
, who contributed 49 runs in 36 balls, the defending champions successfully chased down the target, reaching 191 for three with a ball to spare.
Despite losing wickets before reaching 100 within 13.3 overs, Mumbai faced a challenging task of needing 72 runs off 30 balls.
Harmanpreet, dropped on 40, switched to “beast mode” and took charge of the innings, forming a crucial partnership of 93 runs with Amelia Kerr.
Harmanpreet’s boundary-laden onslaught, especially in the 18th over against off-spinner Sneh Rana, reduced the required runs to a manageable 23 off 12 balls.
Mumbai Indians sealed the win, placing them at the top of the chart with 10 points.
Earlier, Gujarat Giants had posted a competitive total of 190 for seven, driven by dynamic fifties from skipper
Beth Mooney
(66 runs) and D Hemalatha (74 runs).
The duo’s explosive second-wicket partnership of 121 runs set a strong foundation for Gujarat’s innings, but Mumbai’s successful chase secured their dominance in the Women’s Premier League.
(With PTI inputs)
