MI Women keep first-place hopes alive

Mumbai Indians Women’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur led from the front with a classy 54 from just 33 balls to lead her team to an imposing total of 179-6 and victory by nine  runs in their penultimate WPL group match against the Gujarat Giants Women at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Monday.

The MI Women had already qualified for the knockout stages of the tournament but faced the prospect of winning their remaining two group games in order to finish in first place to gain automatic qualification for the final and avoid the Qualifier between the second and third placed teams, Delhi Capitals Women and the Giants Women.

Barbadian Hayley Matthews (27) and England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt (38) laid the platform for MI’s total with Amanjot Kaur (27 from 15 balls) and Yastika Bhatia (13 from 4) adding the finishing touches to a daunting target.

The Gujarat run-chase looked to be in complete disarray at 92-6 at the start of the 14th over when Deandra Dottin was bowled by Kiwi legspinner Amelia Kerr, but Bharti Fulmali breathed new life into the game with a timeous 61 from just 25 balls (8x4, 4X6) before the meticulous Matthews (3-38) regained control and closed the game out with her off-spin.

MI WOMEN: Hayley Matthews, Yasika Bhatia (wkt), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Ameli Kerr, Sajeevan Sajana, G Kamalini, Amanjot Kaur, Sanskriti Gupta, Shabnim Ismail, Parunika Sisodia.

GUJARAT GIANTS WOMEN: Beth Mooney (wkt), Harleen Deol, Ashleigh Gardner, Deandra Dottin, Kashvee Gautam, Simran Shaikh, Phoebe Litchfield, Bharti Fulmani, Tanuja Kanwar, Meghna Singh, Priya Mishra.