In a record-breaking night at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai Indians Women pulled off a heist to remember, chasing down a massive target of 193 to defeat Gujarat Giants by seven wickets. The match was a proper seesaw battle that saw momentum shift multiple times, but ultimately, it was the clinical composure of Harmanpreet Kaur that made the difference. With this victory, Mumbai didn’t just secure two points; they pulled off their highest-ever successful chase in WPL history and maintained a perfect 8-0 head-to-head record against the Giants.
The game started with Gujarat Giants being put into bat, and they certainly didn’t disappoint their fans. Despite losing Sophie Devine early for just 8, Beth Mooney (33 off 26) and Kanika Ahuja (35 off 18) took the attack to the bowlers, helping Gujarat blast 62 runs in the powerplay. The middle overs saw a bit of a squeeze from the Mumbai bowlers, particularly Amelia Kerr and Nicola Carey, as the Giants slipped to 99/4. However, the game changed completely in the final five overs.
In a rare tactical move, the Giants retired out Ayushi Soni to bring in the big-hitting Bharti Fulmali, and it worked like a charm. Fulmali played a cameo for the ages, smashing an unbeaten 36 off just 15 balls, including three towering sixes. She found great company in Georgia Wareham, who remained not out on 43 off 33. Together, they plundered 62 runs in the death overs, including a massive 23-run final over, to propel Gujarat to a formidable 192/5.
Chasing 193 was never going to be easy, and Mumbai felt the heat early on. They lost G Kamalini and Hayley Matthews (22 off 12) within the first five overs, leaving them wobbling at 37/2. The required rate was climbing toward 10 an over, and the pressure was firmly on the middle order. This was the moment Harmanpreet Kaur decided to take matters into her own hands, finding a solid partner in Amanjot Kaur.
Amanjot played a crucial, busy innings of 40 off 26 balls, hitting seven boundaries to keep the scoreboard ticking and allowing her captain to settle in. Their 72-run partnership stabilized the chase before Amanjot fell to Sophie Devine. At that point, Mumbai still needed a significant chunk of runs, but the entry of Nicola Carey (38* off 23) changed the dynamic. Carey took the pressure off Harmanpreet with some aggressive strokeplay, ensuring the asking rate stayed within reach.
The finale was all about the Harmanpreet Show. The MI skipper reached her 50 off 33 balls and reached a personal milestone as the first Indian to cross 1,000 runs in the WPL. Despite being given a couple of lives by some sloppy Gujarat fielding, she remained ice-cool, finishing unbeaten on 71 off 43 balls. With 5 runs needed off the final over, she hammered a boundary through square leg to seal the win with four balls to spare.
