WPL 2024/25, MI-W vs GG-W Eliminator Match Report, March 13, 2025

Mumbai Indians 213 for 4 (Sciver-Brunt 77, Matthews 77, Harmanpreet 36, Gibson 2-40) beat Gujarat Giants 166 (Gibson 34, Litchfield 31, Matthews 3-31, Kerr 2-28) by 47 runs

Giants were without Deandra Dottin for their first knockout game in three WPLs after the allrounder hurt herself only five minutes before the toss, and was replaced by England’s Danielle Gibson. Giants didn’t do themselves any favours as they misfielded through the innings and put down four catches that cost them heavily. And in the run chase, they lost their three top-scorers of this season – Beth Mooney, Harleen Deol and Ashleigh Gardner – in the powerplay as Mumbai held on to their catches and effected run-outs.

Phoebe Litchfield scored a quickfire 31 off 20 balls, but once she was stumped off Amelia Kerr, Giants were all but out of the chase on 107 for 5, with the asking rate above 13 runs an over.

Matthews, Sciver-Brunt set solid platform

Put in to bat, Mumbai went back to opening with Yastika Bhatia, but it didn’t change her fortunes. After collecting three boundaries in her 14-ball stay during a sedate powerplay in which MI didn’t take too many risks, Bhatia pulled Gibson to midwicket for 14.

The wicket brought out the in-form Sciver-Brunt, who didn’t bat an eyelid to get going with a cautious Hayley Matthews, who started with only 17 runs off her first 22 balls before taking off. Sciver-Brunt took the aerial route straightaway. Her consecutive boundaries to end the seventh over fueled Matthews to smack three of her own off the next three balls from Priya Mishra to power the run rate past eight an over. Three of those five consecutive fours came off short deliveries, a length the Giants bowlers often bowled and got punished for.

Their sloppy fielding didn’t help either, many of them leading to boundaries. The first came in the ninth over when Sciver-Brunt drove to deep cover, and Simran Shaikh let it go through her. Soon after, Sciver-Brunt reverse paddled Gardner for her fifth boundary in 12 balls. Kashvee Gautam then let one through at point when Matthews cut one square. By then, Matthews had started to find her A game, and a six off Tanuja Kanwar’s short ball brought her fifty up off 36 balls, and the team’s 100 in 11 overs.

With Mumbai at 111 for 1 after 12 overs, Meghna Singh and Mishra brought some sort of balance back by conceding only 13 runs in two overs. But from the cushion of 124 for 1 with six overs to go, it was time to hit the pedal.

Harmonster demolishes Giants again

Harmanpreet already had her helmet on in the dugout, and was shadow-batting for her big swings while waiting for her chance. Sciver-Brunt deposited Gibson over deep midwicket and long-on to raise a 29-ball fifty. Giants, meanwhile, continued their wretched run on the field when the reliable Gardner dropped Matthews on 57 straight down the ground.

Matthews made them pay immediately against Mishra for back-to-back sixes over long-on and covers with deft footwork. Such was Mumbai’s luck that even a top edge off the next ball went for four. But Matthews and Mumbai’s luck ran out when she edged Gautam behind for 77 off 50 balls, and Mooney took a sharp catch standing up.

Harmanpreet averaged nearly 79 against Giants before this game, and the number could have fallen had Mishra held on to the catch at midwicket when the batter was on 1. But it was put down, and Harmanpreet became Harmonster. She went deep in the crease and opened her stance to cart the ball around, whether it was in the slot or not.

Harmanpreet started the 18th over by hammering Kanwar for 6, 4, 4. Even that included a misfield, before Harmanpreet ended the over with her trademark slog sweep for six to make it 22 runs off Kanwar. Sciver-Brunt also got a life next over – sandwiched between two boundaries off Gibson – when Kanwar made a mess of a skier. Giants were punished yet again next ball, but finally saw the back of Sciver-Brunt when Litchfield caught one at deep midwicket, leaving Sciver-Brunt seven short of 500 runs this season, and three short of 1000 in the WPL overall.

Harmanpreet was gifted two balls in the slot at the start of the last over, and she happily collected sixes off both. Meghna, however, finished well by giving away just two off the next three balls before nailing a yorker that led to Harmanpreet’s run-out for 36.

Mumbai’s fielders show how it’s done

It took only five balls for the hosts to show how fielding made a difference in the game despite the presence of dew. When Shabnim Ismail drew Mooney’s edge, Matthews leapt to her right from first slip to grab the ball with both hands. When Harleen Deol and Gibson got into a mix-up in the fifth over, 20-year-old Sanskriti Gupta put in a dive at point and hurled the ball quickly to the wicketkeeper to find Deol short. And just before the halfway mark, Gibson also fell short when attempting a second run, but her dive wasn’t enough for Amanjot Kaur’s flat throw from the deep.

In between, Gardner lost her off stump against Matthews when she swung her bat, which meant Giants were 43 for 3 in the powerplay. Litchfield was their only hope as she used her feet regularly against Kerr, and struck two boundaries against Ismail that showed her class on either side of the wicket. But when Litchfield ventured out of the crease against Kerr once again and missed, Bhatia took the bails off in no time.

Another run-out and Giants go down

Giants hardly had any steam left in their tank, but their poor running added to their miseries. Next to fall short was Gautam, who was sent back for a quick single after drilling the ball to cover, from where Harmanpreet fired the ball back for the sixth wicket.

With another 102 runs to get from the remaining 42 balls, and their top five back in the hut, Giants’ only hope to get anywhere close to their target was Bharti Fulmali. She started with a straight six off Amanjot, dispatched Kerr to the leg-side boundary, and flayed Matthews for consecutive boundaries behind square. But when Fulmali backed away for a third boundary in a row, Matthews beat her attempted cut and knocked the stumps over.

Mumbai continued their stellar fielding display as Harmanpreet took a diving catch to send Shaikh back, and Sciver-Brunt ran to her left at deep midwicket to seal victory in the last over.