In a heartbreaking end to a remarkable campaign, Gujarat Giants fell short against Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator on March 13, bringing their historic WPL season to a close. Despite the disappointment, this season was a breakthrough moment for the team, as they qualified for the playoffs for the first time after finishing last in the previous two editions. The journey was a testament to their resilience and growth, with players stepping up in crucial moments to defy expectations.
Head coach of the Gujarat Giants Michael Klinger addressed the questions of the media, for one final time on behalf of the team in season three of the tournament.
Nat-Sciver-Brunt and Hayley Matthews looked in magnificent touch in a high-stakes encounter and took the game away from the Giants with a fantabulous batting show. On the partnership of the duo, Klinger said, “They’re two high-quality players. When you come into this game, you know their top four or five are strong, and we probably had to break through that top order as early as we could. But credit to both of them, they played brilliantly well. I don’t think Sciver-Brunt gave a chance. So, I think sometimes you’ve just got to give credit to the opposition. They played really well today.”
The head coach said that they did have very specific plans for Sciver-Brunt, but even for the best players in the world, whether women or men, if they are playing at their best, they can overcome any plans in place. They believed they executed reasonably well with the ball but admitted to giving away some runs in the field, stating that they were not at their best.
The coach estimated a 40-run swing, suggesting they were probably minus 20 while the Mumbai Indians were plus 20, praising their brilliant fielding. They acknowledged the 47-run loss and credited both Nat Sciver-Brunt and Hayley Matthews for their outstanding batting performance, emphasising that sometimes, all one can do is take their hat off and give credit where it’s due.
On the bowling strategy of the Gujarat Giants, “We’ve talked from the start, as a bowling group, about our main focus being to get wickets, and that’s for two reasons: one, to get the best players out, and two, because when you’re getting wickets, you’re keeping the run rate down as new players are coming in. So that’s always a focus.
“But when players are going well in a partnership, you’re probably looking to find a way to give them a single and not give them boundaries. But they manipulated the field really well. The two players used the crease well. They walked across the crease and came at the bowler as well, so it makes it very difficult for the bowlers to be really consistent. And as I said, sometimes you’ve just got to say well done to the opposition, and I think tonight was one of those nights.”
Much to everyone’s surprise, premier off-spinner Ashleigh Gardner did not complete her full quota of overs in a match, especially during a situation when the opposition batters looked in complete command. Addressing this, he mentioned that towards the end, with Tanuja Kanwar bowling the 18th over from the end where the spin was not going towards the side with two right-handers, that might have been a factor.
However, he felt that Gardner started the game really well, bowled effectively in the power play, and that they probably used Priya Mishra as a wicket-taker through the middle. He acknowledged that it might not have been Priya’s night but underlined that she had a great tournament. He added that he would speak to Ashleigh Gardner afterward, but sometimes such decisions happen as teams try to rotate bowlers and get the right bowler from the right end.
Star all-rounder Deandra Dottin suffered an injury moments before the toss of the Eliminator and hence the Giants were forced to make a change and bring in Danielle Gibson as a like-to-like replacement. On Deandra Dottin’s injury, the head coach clarified, “Yeah, she had a bit of pain in her knee. It’s an ongoing issue—not a serious injury, just a little tendon issue—and it flared up on one of her deliveries in the warm-up. It was pretty painful for her, so we took her into the change room, had a look, and tried to give her one more go.
“Sometimes with tendon injuries—and I’m certainly not a medical expert, but I’ve had some before when I used to play—they do get better as you warm up. So, we tried to give her another opportunity to come out and see if she could bowl. She would have potentially liked to play as a batter only, but we would have been a bowler short. So, it was an obvious choice to bring Danielle Gibson in as a direct replacement, and I thought Danny did a great job tonight.”
On a last-minute change in a must-win game, he mentioned that they did a bit of a presentation to Gibson just before heading out to bring some energy back into the group. He acknowledged that Deandra Dottin is a fantastic and impactful player, and when she is unavailable at the last minute, it naturally causes a setback. However, he praised Gibson for doing a fantastic job, emphasising that she was in the squad specifically to fill Dottin’s role if she was injured or had to miss a game for any reason.
He expressed happiness that Gibson got an opportunity in the last game of the tournament after training well for four weeks and noted that she performed well, taking a couple of wickets. He revealed that they decided to send her to open the batting only about an over before finishing their fielding innings, believing they needed a quick start. He concluded by commending her performance and highlighting that having more experience alongside Beth Mooney at the top was beneficial.
“A few runouts in a run chase aren’t ideal, but that was always going to be a tough task, and we had to get a lot of things right in that chase. It just didn’t quite happen,” added Klinger.
As it has been the case in the tournament, the fielding department has left a lot to be readdressed. During the Eliminator too, the Giants were sloppy, and the dropped catches potentially cost them the game during the first innings. On a disappointing fielding performance, Klinger said, “Our fielding wasn’t great tonight. That was obvious for most to see, and I thought Mumbai Indians’ fielding was fantastic.
“They would have said the other night when they lost to RCB that they weren’t happy with their fielding either. So it does happen some nights. We would have liked to have put in a better performance in the field because, as I said, I think there was about a 40-run swing there—probably minus 20 to us and plus 20 to them. And we lost by 47 runs, so sometimes that can be the big difference in the game. But that’s okay. That happens. That partnership from Matthews and Nat was match winning. They were at their best tonight, and unfortunately, we weren’t able to break through.”
Ashleigh Gardner won the toss and chose to bowl first, inserting Harmanpreet Kaur’s side to bat on a fresh wicket. Speaking about the decision to bowl first, Klinger admitted that they might have slightly misread the pitch. They initially felt that the wicket had some tackiness when they assessed it before the toss and expected it to assist the new ball in the first innings or even hold and spin a little.
However, that was not the case, as the pitch played well. He emphasized that tosses in T20 cricket do not determine the outcome of games. He also noted that the conditions in the second half were extremely wet, making it much easier to bowl first than second. However, he pointed out that defending a 200-plus total put their batting group under pressure, which ultimately led to the loss of several wickets.
The Women’s Premier League (WPL) has been a transformative force for Indian women’s cricket, providing players with invaluable exposure, top-level competition, and a platform to showcase their talent on a global stage. It has bridged the gap between domestic and international cricket, allowing young Indian cricketers to share the dressing room with some of the world’s best, gaining insights and experience that were previously rare. On season three of the tournament, Klinger said, “The WPL as a tournament has been fantastic this year.
“I think playing it at four different venues is great—taking the women’s game to different parts of India, where different crowds and supporters get to see the games. I thought that was great this year. I watched the first edition on TV—I obviously wasn’t there. I think it was all in Mumbai that year. But both years, I’ve found the tournament fantastic, and I think the level is getting higher and higher each year. The exposure for a lot of domestic players is only going to make them better cricketers in the long run. Playing in pressure games—for our girls tonight, it didn’t go our way, but a lot of our Indian and domestic players, both international and domestic, wouldn’t have played in a high-pressure game like this before. That’s only going to hold them in good stead going forward—whether that’s for WPL, their domestic teams, or hopefully for India one day.”
The Women’s Premier League has provided a platform for domestic players to compete alongside international stars, helping them gain experience and confidence at the highest level. Many young Indian talents have emerged from the league, proving their potential and making a strong case for national team selection. Speaking on the performance of domestic players, Michael Klinger highlighted that they have a few promising young players, specifically mentioning Kashvee Gautam, who he believes has been fantastic.
He expressed confidence that she would soon play for India, praising her all-round skills, particularly her bowling with the new ball and at the death. He also commended Harleen Deol for her impressive performance this season, especially after returning from a serious knee injury. Additionally, he noted Priya Mishra’s promising display as a young leg-spinner. Klinger emphasized how exciting it was to see new talent emerging in their group and expressed hope that this trend would continue. He concluded by stating that as the tournament grows, more domestic players in India will improve, ultimately strengthening Indian cricket.
On the team’s batting performance against the Mumbai Indians, the 44-year-old said, “I wouldn’t say I was disappointed. You hope in that situation one of your key batters can bat deep, but they certainly weren’t trying to get out. When you’re chasing a big score, you have to take calculated risks. We spoke about that at the break. We were looking to get 80-plus in the first 10 overs because we felt we could get 130 in the last 10. We were about 90, but we lost four wickets in that period and then a couple more straight after. That made things difficult.”
The coach felt a bit heartbroken on not making it to the finals. “We came into this season with a goal of qualifying for the finals. That was a natural progression from last season. But once you get there, you get a bit greedy and want to win the tournament. Unfortunately, this year, we didn’t,” he added.
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