The Mumbai Indians are on fire! They are dominating the competition with their fourth straight win in the Women’s Premier League (WPL). Their latest victim? The UP Warriorz were dismissed to an eight-wicket loss.
Mumbai’s Saika Ishaque was the MVP of the game, leading her team’s fightback with the ball. UP Warriorz was cruising along, ready to register a competitive total after half-centuries from Alyssa Healy and Tahlia McGrath.
But Ishaque had other plans, and her three wickets for 33 runs derailed UP Warriorz’ charge, causing them to slump from 140 for 3 in the 17th over to finish at 159 for 6.
Mumbai had to chase down 160, but they did it with ease. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s unbeaten 53 and Nat Sciver-Brunt’s 45 not out were enough to secure the win, with Yastika Bhaita also playing a strong hand at the top.
Harmanpreet and Sciver-Brunt added an unbeaten 106 for the third wicket, taking Mumbai Indians to 164 for 2 in just 17.3 overs.
Bhatia took the initiative of scoring at the top, contributing heavily to her 58-run stand for the opening wicket with Hayley Matthews. Although Matthews’ surprisingly slow innings ended at just 12 off 17 balls, Harmanpreet and Sciver-Brunt made up for it with some incredible shots.
Harmanpreet recorded her second fifty in WPL, hitting nine fours and one six, while Sciver-Brunt played yet another match-winning knock with six fours and one six. The duo had luck on their side in the 11th over, surviving a direct hit and a close shave with the bails, but they made the most of it and secured the win for Mumbai Indians.
Earlier in the first half, Alyssa Healy did the bulk of the scoring for UP Warriorz. She added 50 runs for the second wicket with Kiran Navgire and another 82 runs with Tahlia McGrath. Both Healy and McGrath got their second half-centuries, respectively, in the tournament, but it wasn’t enough to stop Mumbai’s dominance.
With Ishaque’s impressive performance, Mumbai Indians have found their go-to bowler when in need of breakthroughs. She took her wickets tally to 12 in just four WPL games so far, cementing her position as an important player for Mumbai.
Although UP Warriorz formed vital partnerships in the middle, at no stage did they launch an all-out attack against the Mumbai bowlers, who, for the first time in four matches, were pushed on the back foot. It was a solid win for the Mumbai Indians, and they look like the team to beat in the WPL.
Post Match Statements
Both captains had plenty to say about their respective teams’ performance in the match’s aftermath.
Alyssa Healy, the captain of UP Warriorz, started by saying that the pitch was not easy to play on, as they couldn’t find the boundary as much as they would have liked. She also admitted that they bowled poorly and gave away too many boundaries.
Healy added that they need to find a boundary hitter and that the eleven they played without Grace Harris is their strongest side. She acknowledged that Mumbai Indians are a class side, and they will have to be better in the upcoming matches.
Harmanpreet Kaur, the captain of Mumbai Indians, was pleased with her team’s performance. She thanked Nat Sciver for allowing her to get herself in and said that the Saika over was the turning point for them as she gave them breakthroughs.
She praised Saika for leading the bowling department for her team and said that she has trust in her. Harmanpreet emphasized the importance of making calculative decisions in the game, which helped them in the match. She also acknowledged that there are areas for improvement, and they need to keep doing the good work.
