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Harmanpreet Kaur took full advantage of Gujarat Giants’ sloppy fielding display as Mumbai Indians maintained their flawless record against the franchise, making it 8 wins from 8 encounters. Despite Gujarat posting an impressive 192/5 and controlling phases of the second innings, their repeated errors allowed the MI captain to take charge and steer her side to their highest-ever successful chase in WPL history.
Gujarat, batting first, delivered another strong performance — this time as a collective effort rather than relying on Sophie Devine or any single standout contribution. MI suffered an early setback when wicketkeeper G Kamalini dropped a straightforward chance, giving Beth Mooney an early life. Mooney capitalised with early boundaries, and Devine added to the momentum with two fours of her own.
However, Shabnim Ismail, frustrated after the earlier drop, came back strongly to dismiss Devine with help from a sharp catch by Kamalini, who redeemed herself. Kanika Ahuja came out blazing with 15 off 6 balls, and Mooney closed the powerplay on a high for Gujarat.
After the timeout, Amelia Kerr struck a key blow by removing Mooney, but Gujarat’s scoring rate continued to climb. A recurring theme emerged — every batter got a start, made a noteworthy contribution, but failed to convert into a big innings. Ashleigh Gardner’s quick cameo was cut short by Nicola Carey, and the returning Hayley Matthews replaced Nat Sciver-Brunt to dismiss Ahuja soon after.
Georgia Wareham kept the innings moving, but Ayushi Soni struggled and eventually made history — becoming the first WPL batter to be retired out after managing just 11 off 14 balls. Gujarat desperately needed a late flourish, and Bharti Fulmali delivered spectacularly. She hammered Carey for boundaries and a six, then punished Amanjot Kaur in the final over with two massive sixes to push Giants to a strong finish.
In response, Gujarat once again started well with the ball. Kamalini’s attempt at a cover drive against Renuka Singh Thakur led to a stumping, and Matthews, despite early promise, fell for 22 off 12. At 48/2 after the powerplay, the responsibility once again fell on skipper Harmanpreet.
She began with a boundary off Wareham and accelerated after the timeout, but stepped back as Amanjot Kaur took over. Amanjot struck successive boundaries and, along with Harmanpreet, attacked Renuka to swing the momentum dramatically. Gardner was then struck for a powerful six by Harmanpreet before Devine broke the partnership with Amanjot’s dismissal at long-on.
Harmanpreet marched on, bringing up a half-century. But the real turning point came in one over from Renuka Singh, where Carey unleashed four boundaries and collected a fifth via pad deflection, yielding 20 runs in just six balls. Gujarat’s fielding woes continued as Fulmali dropped Harmanpreet again, allowing the MI captain to punish them with two more boundaries in the same over.
Another catch went down in the penultimate over, and Harmanpreet sealed the win with four balls remaining, completing a near-perfect chase for Mumbai.
Brief Scores:
Gujarat Giants – 192/5 in 20 overs
(Georgia Wareham 43, Bharti Fulmali 36*; Shabnim Ismail 1/25)*
Mumbai Indians – 193/3 in 19.2 overs
(Harmanpreet Kaur 71, Amanjot Kaur 40; Sophie Devine 1/29)*
Result: Mumbai Indians won by 7 wickets.



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