It will probably’t be simple to play a vital knockout encounter after watching one in all your mainstays injure herself in the course of the warm-up simply minutes earlier than the toss.
Gujarat Giants received off to this very horrifying begin when all-rounder Deandra Dottin – who has been medical for the facet with bat and ball – injured her left knee forward of the sport. It was the beginning of a number of issues to go improper for the franchise because it succumbed to a 47-run loss towards Mumbai Indians within the Girls’s Premier League Eliminator on the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.
Ashleigh Gardner opted to chase, inserting religion in her bowling assault to do what it did at this very venue a number of days in the past when it prevented MI from bludgeoning away to 200. Nonetheless, on a slower strip this time round, as broadcaster Natalie Germanos exclaimed, “Gujarat is taking part in like a crew that has by no means performed within the Eliminator.”
The primary couple of overs belonged to the Giants, with Hayley Matthews and Yastika Bhatia taking their time to get a way of how the pitch would play. Debutant Danielle Gibson, who changed Dottin, eliminated Yastika. Matthews and new batter Nat Sciver-Brunt erred on the facet of warning till the tenth over, digging into the floor.
AS IT HAPPENED: MI vs GG WPL 2025
A ten-over bloodbath adopted, aided generously by some abysmal fielding by the Giants. Even skipper Gardner, who’s often a protected pair of fingers, allowed the event to get to her, with misfields resulting in boundaries and the unacceptable drop of Matthews within the fifteenth over. 124 runs got away within the final 10 overs. MI hit solely 9 sixes on this innings, all of which got here on this section. Each Matthews and Sciver-Brunt introduced up their fifties.
Dottin’s wily medium tempo was sorely missed, however the extra astounding improvement was Gardner opting to solely bowl two overs in a match that required the seniors to face up and take duty.
When Sciver-Brunt raised her bat to mark her fifty, there have been slumped shoulders on the sector for the personnel in orange. One can argue that the match was misplaced lengthy earlier than the chase even started.
With 214 wanted for victory, destiny struck once more with Shabnim Ismail baiting and trapping Beth Mooney for simply six runs. Having somebody within the slip – like how Matthews was – is one thing Giants ought to have executed too, with the variety of runs leaked huge from Mooney in the course of the MI batting innings.
Gujarat Giants’ Danielle Gibson in motion in the course of the WPL Eliminator Match between Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Giants held at CCI Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.
| Picture Credit score:
EMMANUAL YOGINI
Gujarat Giants’ Danielle Gibson in motion in the course of the WPL Eliminator Match between Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Giants held at CCI Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.
| Picture Credit score:
EMMANUAL YOGINI
Harleen Deol and Gardner, who have been essential to the chase going deep, additionally fell inside the PowerPlay leaving the Giants in all types of bother. An already underwhelmingly crammed Brabourne Stadium started emptying out with crowds positive that MI had a foot within the last.
Phoebe Litchfield and Gibson placed on a 38-run stand for the fourth wicket – the very best partnership of the sport for GG. Examine that with the 133-run stand between Matthews and Sciver-Brunt and there’s the story of this sport.
There was resistance from Litchfield and Bharti Fulmali with Gujarat taking the sport into the twentieth over. Nonetheless, it was too little too late with a medical Mumbai fielding present serving to the inaugural champion seal its berth within the last.
In a repeat of the 2023 version, Mumbai Indians will tackle Delhi Capitals within the summit conflict on Saturday.