Mumbai Indians all-rounder Nicola Carey has quickly made a strong impression in her maiden Women’s Premier League season, stepping into the playing XI following Hayley Matthews’s injury and delivering composed, match-winning performances with both bat and ball.
Carey impressed in her first two outings for the franchise, contributing at No. 5 with the bat and bowling effectively in the Powerplay. The all-rounder has taken five wickets and scored 61 runs in two matches. She reflected on her unexpected opportunity and the learning curve in the WPL after her match-winning performance (12-ball 21 and 3-37) against the Delhi Capitals.
‘Hayley’s not too far off’
“That would be very fair to say that I wouldn’t be starting had Hayley been there. I’ve been lucky enough to find my way into the team, sadly, because Hayley has a niggle. She’s not too far off, and it would be nice to get her back,” Carey said at the post-match press conference, adding that Amelia Kerr had to adjust her role at the top of the order in Matthews’s absence.
Speaking about her mindset as a backup player, Carey said preparation remained unchanged despite the uncertainty. “If you look at the other overseas players in this line-up, they are world-class. I was under no illusions about where I sat. I just prepared how I would go into a game. Sometimes you have last-minute changes, and that’s just the nature of these competitions,” she said.
Carey also shared her excitement about experiencing the WPL environment. “The crowd has been amazing. It’s been wild. Playing alongside players like Harmanpreet Kaur and watching how they go about things has been really cool. You’re always learning in different conditions with different players and coaches,” she noted.
Reflecting on her improvement from the previous game, she said: “I had to bowl it into the wicket a little more. You learn from games, and I was lucky I could take something away from the last one.”
Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals head coach Jonathan Batty reflected on their defeat, saying the 190 is a chaseable score but the team “did not quite click with the bat.”
‘190 is chaseable’
Assessing the bowling effort overall, he added, “Our plans were very good and about 75 per cent of what we did with the ball was really good. When we missed, we missed quite significantly, which allowed them to get away a little. With a quick outfield and short boundaries, 190 is a chaseable score with our batting
line-up.”
5
No. of wickets taken by Nicola Carey in two WPL games
61
No. of runs scored by Nicola Carey in two WPL games
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