WPL: Harmanpreet masterclass powers MI to 7-wicket win over GG

A record-breaking 10th fifty-plus score by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and her partnerships with Amanjot Kaur and Nicola Carey powered Mumbai Indians to a seven-wicket win over Gujarat Giants (GG) at Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium on Tuesday.
This marks MI’s second successive win in the season after losing to RCB in the tournament opener, powering them to second spot.
Harmanpreet brought up her 10th fifty-plus score in Women’s Premier League history, outdoing MI’s Nat-Sciver Brunt and UP Warriorz skipper Meg Lanning (nine each). She also became the second player, after Nat Sciver, to complete 1,000 WPL runs, with 1,016 runs in 30 matches and 29 innings at an average of 46.18 and a strike rate of 146.18, with 10 fifties.
This is the second-highest chase in WPL history after RCB’s 202-run chase against GG last season.
During the run-chase of 193 runs, openers G Kamalini and Hayley Matthews had a decent start, with Kamalini getting a couple of fours. But Renuka Singh stumped her out for 12-ball 13, with MI at 20/1 in 2.5 overs.
Undeterred, Hayley continued to attack, launching Rajeshwari Gayakwad for two back-to-back fours just after Kamalini’s dismissal and hammering Kashvee Gautam for a six with a brilliant flick over deep backward square leg. However, Kashvee got the last laugh over Matthews, with a well-judged catch from Sophie Devine ending her stay at 12-ball 22, with three fours and a six. MI was 37/2 in 4.4 overs.
The Indian pair of skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Amanjot Kaur joined forces, with Amanjot hitting two successive fours against Sophie, one a late cut and the other a flick. The 50-run mark was up for MI in 6.2 overs.
Georgia Wareham’s ninth over cost GG 14 runs, as Amanjot-Harmanpreet launched her for three fours, including delightful pull and sweep from Amanjot, who was putting on a show. -TIN Bureau