Mumbai Indians stormed into the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025 Final with a dominant 47-run victory over Gujarat Giants in the Eliminator. Powered by explosive knocks from Hayley Matthews and Nat Sciver-Brunt, Mumbai posted a commanding total of 213 runs, putting immense pressure on Gujarat. In response, Gujarat struggled to build momentum and were eventually bowled out for 166, falling well short of the target. Mumbai’s disciplined bowling attack ensured a convincing win, setting up an exciting final showdown.
Brunt and Hayley Matthews forged a stupendous 133-run partnership to keep the Giants’ bowlers at bay, dismantling the attack with a blend of power and precision. Their aggressive strokeplay and calculated risks propelled Mumbai to a formidable total, leaving Gujarat struggling for answers.
Addressing the media, on batting with Hayley Matthews, Sciver-Brunt said, “I guess apart from this tournament, I haven’t really batted with Matthews, but we seemed to click pretty well from the first year. So today she probably wanted to get off to a bit of a quicker start, but it was good that she stayed there and didn’t give her wicket away because we know how powerful she is.
“We had the time out and then she probably did time it a little bit better after that so just reassure I know that you only need to time it, you don’t need to absolutely whack it, but it’s very hard to remember sometimes when you’re trying to open the bat and get us stuff to a good start and take advantage of the PowerPlay. But she played a great innings today.”
On her conversation with Hayley Mathews when she came out to bat, she said, “She spoke to me about seeing the movement of the ball, and I could see that it probably wasn’t coming on as well. I felt like it was stopping a bit, so I guess that played into our hands with the back-foot shots, which are both mine and Hayley’s strengths. As soon as we worked that out, it probably unlocked us a little bit more. Working together to get to that point was important.”
On Ashleigh Gardner not completing her full quota of four overs, the English batter said that in different games, she hadn’t bowled awfully. If a left-hander had stayed longer, she might have bowled again. But with the other bowlers today, she probably had a tricky job, especially since Deandra Dottin wasn’t playing. So, she was moving them around in her own way.
Pacer Shabnim Ismail has picked up 8 wickets from 9 innings and has played a key role in steaming in with the new ball under lights. Hayley Matthews has set the stage on fire with both bat and ball. With the bat, the West Indian has scored 304 runs with an average of 33.78. At the moment, she proudly carries the Purple Cap with 17 wickets to her name, coming at an average of 15.88.
On Ismail and Hayley Matthews’ performance this season, Brunt said, “Shabnim starts us off with the ball during our bowling innings and sets the team up really well. She bowls with aggression, pace, and that swing she has this year—probably more than in previous years—has been really impressive. Then, adapting to the conditions today, I guess their batters wanted to use the seam a little more. So, she’s obviously a great asset to have in a team.
Hayley Matthews as well—she can contribute anywhere in the field and has found her feet a little more towards the back end of the tournament, which is a great sign for us.”
On a scintillating batting season, the 32-year-old said that she has stuck to her strengths quite a lot and played what was in front of her. She mentioned that the quick outfields and nice wickets to bat on has helped. She expressed happiness in taking advantage of those conditions because form tends to fluctuate. She added that the feeling of not being confident was not pleasant, so she is making the most of it.
A win for the Indians meant that they will face off against Meg Lanning’s Delhi Capitals on March 15 for the title clash. On playing the final against high-flying Capitals and the pitch conditions, she said, “It was probably a blessing in disguise to bat first, as we got a better understanding of the kind of bowling we needed to put out there. But equally, we’ve played on wickets that are really true and have great bounce and carry too. As a side, we’ll recover well, with only two days to go. So, yeah, we’ll make sure that we’re well-prepared for the big match.”
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