The Mumbai Indians defeated the UP Warriorz with a commanding 42-run victory at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday, moving them up to second place in the WPL 2024 points standings because to an all-around performance by Nat Sciver-Brunt (45 & 2-14). They had won four times so far this season. However, UPW’s chances of making it to the championship game were also dashed by their fourth-season defeat, which also left their campaign in ruins.
UPW makes initial progress
The Mumbai Indians’ choice to bat first did not pay off right away as Chamari Athapaththu, along with Grace Harris, dismissed both openers for cheap and controlled the run-flow during the powerplay. The reigning champions managed just 26 for 2 in the opening five overs.
Sciver-Brunt brings MI back.
Rajeshwari Gaekwad was costly that day and had trouble with her lines and lengths. In the companionship of Harmanpreet Kaur, Sciver-Brunt restored MI’s innings, but she was out for boundaries off the first two balls. Although the latter found it difficult to get going in her innings, she remained with the vice skipper and they managed to score 59 runs in 46 balls, with Harmanpreet scoring at a rate of less than one run per ball.
After hitting Sciver-Brunt with an arm ball in her subsequent over, Gayakwad finally got her comeuppance, but Harmanpreet counterattacked by slogsweeping the spinner for a boundary and a six. With just two overs bowled, Saima Thakor removed Harmanpreet, and Amanjot Kaur was shortly caught at deep square leg by Deepti Sharma, bringing MI to 117 for 5 in the 16th over.
Kerr and Sajana contribute the final flourish.
Even though MI didn’t have the kind of late burst they would have liked—especially since Sajana didn’t start until the very last over—a few of Kerr’s dropped catches came in handy as they added 38 runs in the final four overs before Kerr was run out off the final ball while trying to make a nonexistent two.
Woes with UPW’s top order persist
Having missed MI’s previous match against her old squad, Shabnim Ismail was bowling like a firebrand. She wasn’t just difficult for Kiran Navgire and Alyssa Healy to contain; on a 9-ball 3, she even knocked over the former’s stumps.
The Mumbai Indians had plenty of success that day as they continued to focus on the stumps. It started when Saika Ishaque cleaned up Navgire in the second over. The bounce and slow pace of the wicket undid Chamari Athapaththu, as she top-edged a cut off Hayley Matthews to the cover fielder. Grace Harris required fifteen balls to get off the mark because the MI bowlers were so difficult to dismiss early on. In the first seven overs of the chase, MI managed to scrape to 18 for 3.
Not a comeback for UPW
Eventually, Grace Harris struck gold with a six over long on. She only managed to score on one of her five attempts throughout the 23-ball stay, though. In fact, she once left the pitch without contesting the umpire’s call after she was ruled out LBW. Deepti Sharma’s intervention caused her to reconsider, accept the DRS, and overturn the umpire’s ruling. However, it wasn’t really helpful. She hit a six off Ishaque for her final scoring shot as well, but trying to replicate it proved disastrous as the left-armer bowled somewhat flatter and faster, shattering her stumps. With Harris out of the game in the tenth over and the necessary rate approaching twelve an over, the match was all but over.
Even though Deepti Sharma scored an undefeated 53 off 36 balls, including a six off the final ball, MI’s total was not in any danger. Her outburst was mostly too late in the inning to even spark a mathematical chance of victory. Harmanpreet dropped a catch, but the UPW hitters were unable to sustain the rally. To end the challenge early, Pooja Vastrakar dismissed Shweta Sehrawat and Sciver-Brunt bowled Poonam Khenmar.
Sciver-Brunt returned two wickets, while Ishaque claimed three, limiting UPW to 118 for 9.
Brief Scores: UP Warriorz 118/9 in 20 overs (Deepti Sharma 53*, Shweta Sehrawat 17; Saika Ishaque 3-27, Nat Sciver-Brunt 2-14) lost to Mumbai Indians 160/6 in 20 overs (Nat Sciver-Brunt 45, Amelia Kerr 39; Chamari Athapaththu 2-29) by 42 runs.
© Cricbuzz
