Harmanpreet hammered 14 fours en route to a classy 65 off just 30 balls in the Women’s Premier League opener against Gujarat Giants and paved the way for Mumbai Indians’ 143-run win at the DY Patil Stadium.
Harmanpreet Kaur brought back recollections of an evening in Bengaluru, 15 summers agone, when Brendon McCullum unleashed annihilation on the Royal contenders Bangalore bowlers to set the tone for the initial edition of the men’s Indian Premier League.
And on Saturday evening, Harmanpreet pounded 14 fours en route to a majestic 65 off just 30 balls in the Women’s Premier League nature against Gujarat titans and paved the way for Mumbai Indians ’ 143- run palm at the DY Patil Stadium.
As the Mumbai captain left the Gujarat bowlers oblivious and went on to come the first player to score a half- century in the event, the social media went abuzz with suckers drawing comparisons of her fiery knock with McCullum’s iconic 73- ball- 158. Though Harmanpreet easily would have no idea of similar comparisons, she made it a point to guide Mumbai to a mammoth 207- 5 before her bowlers whisked out Gujarat titans for a stingy 64- 9.
Put in to club by rival captain Beth Mooney, Mumbai was out to a flier despite losing nature Yastika Bhatia in the third over. Hayley Matthews( 47, 31b, 3×4, 4×6) sustained the innings before the India captain took charge. Making the utmost of titans ’ shy fielding, Harmanpreet hit seven fours off consecutive deliveries in her innings to forge a pivotal 89- run cooperation with Amelia Kerr( 45n.o., 24b, 6×4, 1×6).
Kaur struck Ashleigh Gardner for a boundary in the 15th over to get to a fiery 22- ball fifty. She hit five successive fours to reach the 50- run mark followed by two further to make it seven boundaries in race.
Walking in at number four after the redundancy of Nat Sciver- Brunt in the ninth over, Kaur tooled her way to score 65 off 30 balls with the help of 14 fours before getting out in the 17th over by Sneh Rana.
The 33- time-old stiched 89 runs in 42 deliveries with Amelia Kerr for the third gate, propelling Mumbai to finish at 207 after 20 overs.
Mumbai bought the current India commander for the total sum of1.80 cr spending 15 per cent of the total transaction bag on her.
As the titans ’ bowlers plodded to find a advance, Mumbai picked up 130 runs in the last ten overs. To add to its straits, the titans had a poor show on the field and making utmost of those openings, Harmanpreet put on an assault, before being caught at short third by Dayalan Hemalatha off a Sneh Rana delivery. Kerr, still, kept the scoreboard ticking with a bit of backing from Pooja Vastrakar.
Still, on a face that sounded to profit the batters, titans still had stopgap. But effects went topsy- turvy for the Gujarat outfit as its commander Mooney walked off the field after injuring her knee on the fourth delivery of the innings. Harleen Deol, too, failed to open her account and was dismissed by Nat Sciver- Brunt on the last delivery of the first over.
Thereon, none of the titans batters could step up, and as the game progressed, the platoon meanly surrendered, losing seven lattices inside eight overs, with just 23 runs on the board. As incentive, Saika Ishaque claimed four lattices( 4 for 11), and Sciver- Brunt and Kerr bagged two lattices all, the titans ’ lower- order fell in quick race. None of the batters- except Hemalatha( 29n.o.) and Monica Patel( 10)- could reach double integers.
With the captain injured and contestation girding the rejection of Deandra Dottin, the titans have veritably little time to regroup before it meets UP Warriorz at the same venue on Sunday evening. Know More Women Cricket News…
