Navi Mumbai: After 16 overs of play, Gujarat Giants made an interesting decision. The innings had started off well enough with the scoring brisk. But the rate dropped in the middle overs. They were going at 10-an-over till the half-way mark, and then dropped to six in the next six overs in their Women’s Premier League match against Mumbai Indians on Tuesday.
That’s when they decided to retire out batter Ayushi Soni to make way for Bharti Fulmali, the team’s bonafide pinch-hitter. With Georgia Wareham alongside, the pair stitched together a 56-run unbeaten partnership off the last 24 balls to take the Giants to a fighting 192/5.
Fulmali scored 36 off only 15 deliveries, with three fours and as many sixes. Wareham finished 43 not out from 33. But that late surge came far too late. On a batting track at the DY Patil Stadium, Mumbai Indians chased down the total with seven wickets and four balls to spare.
The result gave the Mumbai team their second win on the trot, and handed Giants their first defeat in three games.
A brief analysis of the Giants’ line-up on paper hints at an over-reliance on the four foreign players when it comes to stitching together the batting innings, with no such support coming from the domestic talent yet. Sure, Fulmali is there, but her power-hitting is more suited to finishing. Anushka Sharma too had shown a spark, but she has been ruled out with injury.
That shortage came to the fore on Tuesday. As Beth Mooney, Sophie Devine and Ashleigh Gardner failed to fire with the bat, the Giants innings declined.
But where the Giants are lacking, Mumbai – with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Amanjot Kaur – have no such worry.
In fact, the duo put up a solid 72-run partnership for the third wicket to guide their team into a strong position after Mumbai was reduced to 37/2 in the fifth over.
Though Amanjot was caught at long-on for 40 off 26 deliveries, Harmanpreet continued to fire.
The India captain was, however, given a reprieve, dropped on 45 by Soni. But with Nicola Carey – she is having an outstanding season so far – Harmanpreet guided her team past the finish line.
Harmanpreet finished unbeaten on 71 off 43 deliveries, with seven boundaries and two sixes, as she sealed the victory. Carey ended not out on 38 from 23 balls, with six fours.
The win means that Mumbai Indians are now 8-0 against Giants in the WPL. It also takes them to second in the league table, level on points with GG and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who have only played twice, but won both the games.
Brief scores:
Gujarat Giants 192/5 (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). MI beat GG by 7 wickets.