Harmanpreet Kaur once again showcased her powerful hitting by scoring an unbeaten 82 runs. However, her efforts were in vain as the Gujarat Giants secured an 11-run victory over the Mumbai Indians at the BCA Stadium in Kotambi on Friday.
With the win, GG also booked their spot in the 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL) playoffs.
How GG Beat MI?
Opting to bat first, Gujarat Giants posted a competitive total of 167/4, led by skipper Ashleigh Gardner’s 46 and Georgia Wareham’s unbeaten 44. Their 71-run partnership propelled the Giants past the 165-run mark, providing their bowlers with a defendable total. The Mumbai Indians struggled early in their chase, falling to 37/3 in seven overs.
Harmanpreet mounted a valiant fightback with a composed 82 not out off 48 balls,
marking her sixth fifty against the Giants, which included eight fours and four sixes. Despite her efforts, wickets continued to tumble at the other end, leaving Harmanpreet to battle alone. This victory ended the Giants’ run of eight consecutive defeats against the Mumbai Indians, coming at a critical point in the season.
For the Giants, Sophie Devine and Georgia Wareham each took two wickets, while Ashleigh Gardner successfully defended 26 runs in the final over, despite Harmanpreet hitting her for two sixes. With their playoff spot secured, the Giants celebrated by acknowledging their home crowd.
In pursuit of 168, Hayley Matthews opened with a boundary off Renuka Singh in the first over, and Sajeevan Sajana quickly followed with three boundaries. The Giants got their breakthrough in the fifth over when Hayley was bowled for six. Sajana was the next to fall, miscuing a shot to mid-off against Kashvee Gautam, followed by Nat Sciver-Brunt, who was caught at mid-wicket off Sophie Devine.
Harmanpreet entered under pressure and immediately looked confident, hitting boundaries off Georgia Wareham and Rajeshwari Gayakwad. Amelia Kerr supported her by finding the boundary with cuts and pulls. However, Georgia dismissed Kerr in the 12th over, smartly caught by Beth Mooney behind the stumps.
Harmanpreet continued to anchor the chase, hitting a six off Rajeshwari to reach her 11th WPL fifty and sixth against the Giants. The Giants fought back when Amanjot Kaur was stumped off Rajeshwari in the 17th over, and Sanskriti Gupta was dismissed lbw by Wareham without scoring.
Harmanpreet kept the chase alive by hitting two boundaries off Sophie Devine in the 19th over. With 26 needed off the final over, she hit Gardner for two sixes off full tosses, raising hopes of a dramatic win for Mumbai Indians. However, Gardner held her nerve, dismissing Poonam Khemnar with a caught and bowled, and limiting Rahila Firdous to a single off the last ball, sparking joyous celebrations in the Giants’ camp.
(With inputs from Agencies)
