Mumbai Indians defeated Gujarat Giants by 47 runs to qualify for their second WPL final. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side had a stunning day with the bat, as veteran all-rounders Nat Sciver-Brunt and Hayley Matthews scored 77 runs each in the first innings. They stitched a 133-run partnership to help the team post a mammoth total of 213 runs in the first innings.
It was a mountain to climb for Gujarat in the second innings, especially after all their star cricketers flopped with the bat. Opener Beth Mooney departed after scoring six, while Harleen Deol and Gardner scored eight each. The likes of Phoebe Litchfield and Bharti Fulmali tried to bring the team back into the contest but Mumbai were much ahead in the race.
With the defeat, Gujarat were eliminated from the WPL. Nevertheless, after the match, captain Gardner talked about the positives that the team enjoyed throughout the course of the season and noted that she was proud to lead the team and lauded the shining lights in the team.
“This group’s got a lot to be proud of. So many positive stories to come out of this tournament. Different people have stood up at different times. Absolute pleasure to be able to lead this team. Wasn’t to be today, but going forward there are a few shining lights in this group,” Gardner said in the post-match presentation.
Gardner also acknowledged that the team wasn’t at their best against Mumbai in the Eliminator. On top of that, Gujarat missed the services of Deandra Dottin, who suffered a knee injury just minutes before the toss. Danielle Gibson replaced her in the playing XI and she did well, scoring 34 runs and picking up two wickets but it wasn’t enough.Read Also
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“We didn’t do all three facets well enough. We missed opportunities. Obviously not ideal losing someone (Dottin) who has been a crucial part of the team right through the tournament. But we knew we had Gibbo (Gibson) on the sidelines who’s a like-for-like replacement. I hope D Dott’s okay. Haven’t heard much, but I think she hurt her knee,” Gardner said.
