In the early stages of the Women’s Premier League, Harmanpreet Kaur has consistently excelled in crisis management. After leading the Mumbai Indians from a precarious position against Delhi Capitals with an unbeaten 74, she once again took charge in a challenging match against Gujarat Giants, where the team was struggling at 37 for two while chasing 193.
Harmanpreet started her innings cautiously, mindful of the scoring rate and the number of wickets lost. The turning point came in the ninth over when she began aggressively targeting Georgia Wareham, followed by a strong performance against Renuka Thakur in the 11th over, hitting boundaries to revive the Mumbai Indians (MI) innings. She skillfully utilized the long-on boundary, hitting both a four and a six. Continuing her assault, she targeted straight boundaries, including a maximum off Ashleigh Gardner in the 12th over and scoring nine runs off Tanuja Kanwer in the 14th. Harmanpreet reached her half-century off 33 balls in the 17th over, but with the match still challenging, her work was not yet complete.
Harmanpreet’s innings exemplified careful pacing, supported effectively by Amanjot Kaur, who scored 40 runs off 26 balls, hitting seven boundaries and forming a crucial 72-run partnership in 44 balls. After Amanjot’s departure, Nicola Carey stepped in and prevented any late-game hiccups. She decisively attacked Renuka in the 16th over, hitting four boundaries and benefiting from leg-byes, ultimately remaining unbeaten with 38 runs off 23 balls. Together with Harmanpreet, Carey contributed to an 84-run partnership, securing MI’s eighth victory over GG in the WPL.
Sophie Devine, Gujarat Giants’ leading run-scorer, had a disappointing outing in her third game, scoring only eight runs after being dismissed by Shabnim Ismail in the third over. During the toss, captain Ashleigh Gardner emphasized the need for Indian players to excel in the WPL. Kanika Ahuja, stepping in at No. 3, responded by scoring 35 runs off 18 balls, including a rapid 14 off her first five deliveries. After the bowling side reduced Gujarat to 130 for five at the 15-over mark, Bharti Fulmali made a significant contribution with a late innings flourish, scoring 36 runs off 15 balls, which included making 20 runs off Amanjot Kaur in the final over, helping Gujarat reach a final total of 192 runs after 20 overs.
