Mumbai captain Harmanpreet Kaur played an explosive inning of 65 runs in just 30 balls and took the team to 207 runs, which proved too much for Gujarat.
Image Credit source: AFP
Mumbai Indians created panic in the very first match of the first season of the Women’s Premier League. Under the leadership of captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Mumbai started the tournament with a thumping win over Gujarat Giants. In the first match played at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, Mumbai unilaterally defeated Gujarat by a huge margin of 143 runs and issued a warning to all the teams. Along with this, captain Harmanpreet also warned, who created such a ruckus with his bat that the fans sitting in the stadium were in awe. Especially those 7 balls, when Harmanpreet talked only in boundaries.
After losing the toss, Mumbai batted first in this match. He lost his first wicket in the third over but Windies captain Hayley Mathews took the team’s score forward with explosive batting. After Mathews’ dismissal, Captain Harmanpreet Kaur took over the responsibility and set off fireworks as soon as she arrived.
Reached 7 balls across the boundary
During this innings of Harmanpreet, there came a time when only fours were coming out of the bat of the captain of Mumbai. All this happened in the 15th and 16th overs, when Harmanpreet was in rhythm. It started with Monika Patel’s over. On the third, fourth, fifth and sixth ball of this over, Harmanpreet hit 4 consecutive fours on cover drive and pull shot.
Then on the second ball of the 16th over, Harmanpreet came on strike again and this time Australian star Ashley Gardner became her target. Harman this time sent the second, third and fourth balls of the over for fours. In this way Harman hit 7 fours in 7 consecutive balls.
Why? Harmanpreet Kaur brings up the first 5️⃣0️⃣ of #TATAWPL
More of her in action #GGvMI 👉🏼 LIVE on #JioCinema , #sports18 #CheerTheW #TATAWPLonJioCinema #TATAWPLonSports18 pic.twitter.com/9Q9RwJ1Okx
— Sports18 (@Sports18) Mar 4, 2023
First Fifty in WPL history
In this way, Harmanpreet scored his own and the first half-century in WPL history in just 22 balls. Harmanpreet scored 65 runs in just 30 balls, which included 14 fours, till Sneh Rana fell victim to the last ball of the 17th over. Mumbai scored 207 runs on the basis of his innings. In response, the Gujarat team was settled for just 64 runs in the 16th over and Mumbai started their campaign in the tournament with an emphatic win.
