The Mumbai Indians thrashed the UP Warriorz by 42 runs in their key mid-table tussle in the Tata Women’s Premier League match at the Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Thursday.
Victory enabled MI to go to eight points and second in the table, putting distance between themselves and the Warriorz (4 points).
They are back to winning ways and HOW! 😎
— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) March 7, 2024
A clinical 42-run victory for the Mumbai Indians against #UPW 👏👏
Scorecard 💻📱https://t.co/qcJK240qsL#TATAWPL | #UPWvMI | @mipaltan pic.twitter.com/okS2mdzh7v
MI won the toss and chose to bat first, scoring a respectable 160 for six in their 20 overs on a good pitch for batting as well as a lightning outfield.
The Warriorz, with a strong top-order, might have fancied their chances of getting the runs, but they made a disastrous start, being reduced to 17 for three in the first power-play and were never in the hunt after that, finishing on 118 for nine.
It was South African seamer Shabnim Ismail who set the tone for MI when the Warriorz began their reply.
The speedster, who bowled the fastest recorded delivery by a woman of 132.1 km/h earlier this week, bowled the dangerous Alyssa Healey neck and crop for three and was tight in her lines and lengths as well, going for just six runs in her four overs.
Fast & Fiery ⚡️⚡️
— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) March 7, 2024
Super Shabnim castles Alyssa Healy 🔥🔥#UPW lose 3⃣ wickets inside the powerplay as they reach 17/3 after 6 overs.
Live 💻📱https://t.co/qcJK240qsL#TATAWPL | #UPWvMI pic.twitter.com/2opP5h4J3k
And when medium-pacer Natalie Sciver-Brunt, who had earlier impressed with the bat, claimed two wickets in consecutive deliveries, the match was essentially over.
A highlight of the innings for MI was a superb diving catch in the outfield by Sajeevan Sayana to dismiss Sophie Ecclestone first ball off Sciver-Brunt, her second victim and setting up a hat-trick ball.
Sayana went on to claim three catches and picked up the final wicket with her spin at the end.
Deepti Sharma avoided undue embarrassment for her team when she smacked an unbeaten 53 in 36 balls (6x4s, 2x6s) at the death to keep the margin of defeat to respectable proportions.
A valiant knock from Deepti Sharma as she gets to her maiden WPL fifty with a maximum 👏👏
— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) March 7, 2024
Scorecard 💻📱https://t.co/qcJK240qsL#TATAWPL | #UPWvMI | @Deepti_Sharma06 pic.twitter.com/QhwlcOlVnZ
The most successful bowler for MI was spinner Saika Ishaque with 3-27.
FINAL SURGE
Earlier, the Mumbai Indians benefited from two partnerships at the top and the middle of the order to reach their decent total.
Sciver-Brunt and her captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, added a vital 59 in 46 balls for the third wicket after the early losses of openers Yastika Bhatia and Hayley Matthews.
Bhatia (9) drove Chamari Athapaththu straight to mid-on while Mathews (4) swept the same bowler to Sophie Ecclestone on the square-leg boundary.
Sciver-Brunt looked fully in command in her innings, profiting from short deliveries, particularly through midwicket as she struck eight fours in a 31-ball 45.
Strange to say it was her highest score of the competition for such a fine batter.
For her all-round impact in @mipaltan's comeback win, it's Nat Sciver-Brunt who receives the Player of the Match award 🏆👏
— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) March 7, 2024
Scorecard 💻📱https://t.co/qcJK240qsL#TATAWPL | #UPWvMI pic.twitter.com/rhd7TiuMmw
Unfortunately for her, she was bowled off another short-pitched delivery from Rajashwari Gayakwad that just hurried onto her and kept a little low, beating her favourite back-foot pull.
Kaur was joined by Amelia Kerr and the latter was immediately into her stride with some wristy strokes on both sides of the wicket.
They added 28 in 17 balls, with Kaur striking the only six of the innings, before she was bowled by medium-pacer Saima Thakor.
The innings was given a final surge as Kerr (39 off 23 balls, including 6x4s) and Sajana (22 off 14) took the Mumbai Indians to their final total with a sixth-wicket partnership of 43 in 26 balls that was ended on the last ball of the innings with the impressive Kerr failing to make her ground going for a second run.