Just Mumbai Indians things: Harmanpreet, Sciver-Brunt help defeat UP Warriorz
Healy, McGrath fifties in vain as Mumbai continue winning run
Zenia D'cunha
12-Mar-2023 • 21 hrs ago
Harmanpreet Kaur punches one off the back foot • BCCI
Mumbai Indians 164 for 2 (Harmanpreet 53*, Sciver-Brunt 45*) beat UP Warriorz 159 for 6 (Healy 58, McGrath 50, Ishaque 3-33) by eight wickets
Who can stop Mumbai Indians in the Women's Premier League?
UP Warriorz was the only team yet to play, and consequently yet to lose, to Mumbai in the WPL and they did by eight wickets on Sunday in front of a packed Brabourne Stadium.
At the halfway mark in the tournament, Mumbai have played four and won four with the following margins: 143 runs (Gujarat Giants), nine wickets (Royal Challengers Bangalore), eight wickets (Delhi Capitals) and eight wickets (Warriorz).
But don't this latest lopsided margin fool you. The win over Warriorz was not as easy as the scoreboard will show. Harmanpreet Kaur (53 off 33) stood up and delivered a remarkable knock to make a tricky chase look easy.
Mumbai had not exactly been tested in their first three matches of the WPL. They were challenged in the fourth, but passed it by flying colours thanks to their captain and trump card, purple-cap holder Saika Ishaque.
The match, and Mumbai's prowess, can perhaps be best explained by a tale of two overs.
In the first innings, Warriorz were cruising at 133 for 2 after 15 overs with Alyssa Healy and Tahlia McGrath having brought up their fifties. Ishaque then came in for her last in the 17th over in a bid to end the partnership. On the third ball, she dismissed Healy lbw on 58. Two balls later, she got the other half-centurion McGrath stumped. Cool as you please.
She finished her spell with figures of 3 for 33, the purple cap firmly on her head.
In response, Mumbai were in a spot of bother at 72 for 2, needing 88 in 60 balls with Harmanpreet and Nat Sciver-Brunt on crease. They slowly built a stand but it was when McGrath came in for her first over in the 16th that firmly put the match in their favour.
There was a mid-over timeout as Sciver-Brunt got checked for concussion. One has to wonder what the Mumbai captain discussed in the brief break as she returned to cart the Australian for a three boundaries and an effortlessly clean six to completely shatter the equation.
Harmanpreet took six balls to get off the mark, but ended with a fifty is 31 balls.
Just Harmanpreet things. Just Mumbai Indians things.