MI ekes out narrow win against Giants, boosts chances of making final directly

Mumbai Indians secure a crucial victory over Gujarat Giants in Women's Premier League, boosting their chances for the final.

In a game that ebbed and flowed right through, Mumbai Indians sneaked to victory by nine runs against Gujarat Giants in front of a partisan crowd at the Brabourne Stadium on Monday. The host’s win in the first match of the Mumbai leg in this year’s Women’s Premier League (WPL) enhances its chances of qualifying directly for Saturday’s final.

MI, which has 10 points after seven matches, can usurp Delhi Capitals for the top spot if it beats Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Tuesday. Chasing 180, Bharti Fulmali’s entertaining 25-ball 61 gave GG a glimmer, but the lack of worthwhile contributions from the top-order was its undoing.

Needing 68 runs from the final five overs with four wickets in hand, GG was staring down the barrel. But  Fulmali wasn’t ready to give in just yet. The 30-year-old wielded the long handle to devastating effect, helping the visitor take 13 runs off the 16th over and 17 off the 17th over. Even after her dismissal,  Simran Shaikh and Tanuja Kanwer whacked a few boundaries.

That MI reached the total it did was largely down to Harmanpreet Kaur’s 54. It had ambled to 46 for two in seven overs before Harmanpreet and Nat Sciver-Brunt injected some momentum into the innings with a 59-run stand in 40 deliveries.

A shot in the arm in MI’s quest to up the ante came in the ninth over, when Priya Mishra was dispatched for three fours. A full toss was reverse swept by Harmanpreet past short third while Sciver-Brunt pierced the gaps by employing the cut and sweep shots.

After Sciver-Brunt was caught and bowled by Ashleigh Gardner, Harmanpreet ensured with the lower middle-order that the rate of scoring did not drop. The team added 40 runs off the last three overs.

The scores: Mumbai Indians 179/6 in 20 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 54, Nat Sciver-Brunt 38) bt Gujarat Giants 170 in 20 overs (Bharti Fulmali 61, Amelia Kerr 3/34, Shabnim Ismail 2/17, Hayley Matthews 3/38). Toss: GG.