New Delhi: Gujarat Giants registered their first-ever win against Mumbai Indians in Women’s Premier League history whilst booking a berth in the eliminator. An all-round show from Giants’ batters and bowlers ensured they emerged victorious by 11 runs in a thrilling encounter in Vadodara on Friday.
Chasing 168, Mumbai Indians’ got off to a shaky start as early wickets left them reeling at 37/3 inside 7 overs. Just as the contest threatened to slip away, captain Harmanpreet Kaur – now the leading run-scorer of the edition with 342 runs – combined with Amelia Kerr to stitch a 45-run partnership to steady the ship.
Wareham’s breakthrough to dismiss Kerr (20) in the 12th over stalled the momentum, but Harmanpreet stood firm. She then had help from Amanjot Kaur (13) but it was pretty much Kaur all through.
With 26 runs needed in the last over, the task proved to be too mammoth. She finished with an unbeaten 82 and MI faltered but a Delhi Capitals loss in the last group stage could see them qualify with a higher net run rate.
Sophie Devine (2/23) and Georgia Wareham (2/26) were the standout bowlers for GG.
Beth Mooney fell early, but a solid partnership between Sophie Devine and Anushka steadied the innings. Just as the Giants looked set to accelerate, both set batters departed in quick succession. However, another valuable stand between Ashleigh Gardner and Georgia Wareham helped regain momentum.
Earlier, captain Gardner pulled off a middle order rescue act to give some impetus to the Giants innings. She first combined with the impressive Anushka Sharma (33) to stitch a 48-run partnership and then with Georgia Wareham to put up a 78-run partnership that anchored the innings, lifting the Giants to a competitive total.
Brief scores: Gujarat Giants 167/4 (Ash Gardner 46, Georgia Wareham 44*, Amelia Kerr 2/26); Mumbai Indians 156/7 (Harmanpreet Kaur 82*, S Sajana 26, Sophie Devine 2/23). GG beat MI by 11 runs.
