In the aftermath of Gujarat Giants’ first defeat in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026, a 7-wicket defeat to Mumbai Indians in Match 6 at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, head coach Michael Klinger faced the press on February 13.
Despite posting a formidable 192/5, powered by Kanika Ahuja’s explosive 35 (18) and Bharti Fulmali’s blistering 36* (15), the Giants couldn’t defend it as skipper Harmanpreet Kaur’s unbeaten 71 (43) guided Mumbai to their record chase with 4 balls spare. Kaur’s masterclass, her 5th WPL fifty against Gujarat Giants and 10th overall, earned her Player of the Match honours, propelling Mumbai to 2nd on the points table while extending their streak to 8-0 over the Giants. Klinger remained pragmatic, praising his side’s depth while pinpointing fielding lapses as the key differentiator.
Klinger didn’t shy away from the dropped catches that handed Kaur three lives, allowing her to surpass 1,000 WPL runs as the first Indian batter to do so. “Yeah, I mean, I’ll start with the catches, all the fielding. We fielded really well in the first couple of games. And probably, you know, the first 14, 15 overs we fielded quite well. And then all those sorts of drop catches came at the back end, the last five, six overs. So, you know, it’s difficult when you give a player as good as Harmanpreet three chances,” he reflected.
He credited new fielding coach Sarah Taylor, the former England keeper and ICC Hall of Famer, for the early improvements. “She’s been brilliant, the players have really embraced her, and we saw the fruits of that in the first couple of games. You know, today, the couple of missed chances had nothing to do with, obviously, Sarah. She’s been working brilliantly.”
The bold call to retire out debutant Ayushi Soni after 16 overs, ushering in Bharti Fulmali, proved a game-changer, pushing Gujarat Giants to become the first team to surpass 180+ total in three straight WPL games. Klinger owned the decision, consulted with skipper Ashleigh Gardner and the batting coach. “In hindsight, it got us probably 20 more runs. So, there’s no doubt the call was the right one. It was probably the difference between us, making 190 odd to 170 odd,” he said, adding that he’d reassured Soni post-match about her solid contribution in building with Georgia Wareham (43* off 33).
Promoting Kanika Ahuja to No. 3 amid Anushka Sharma’s hand injury absence paid off handsomely, with her 35 (18) at 194.44 strike rate injecting momentum alongside Beth Mooney and Gardner. Klinger lauded the 23-year-old’s composure. “We felt Kanika has been training really well. I thought she played brilliantly today. There’s even a lot of upside there, and she can get some even bigger scores for us.” He highlighted the team’s uncapped talent pipeline, from Tanuja Kanwer to Kashvee Gautam, as a franchise strength that aids both development and wins, not a hindrance.
Overall, Klinger emphasised batting depth beyond stars like Sophie Devine, Beth Mooney, and Ashleigh Gardner. “Today showed we weren’t that reliant on Sophie, Beth, and Ashleigh. We made 191 runs without them getting on and making really big scores. So, I think that shows that our depth is helping us win.” With Anushka’s injury eyed for a quick Baroda return, the Giants coach views this loss as a fielding blip in an otherwise promising 4th edition campaign.
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