Nat Sciver-Brunt’s impressive unbeaten 72 and Issy Wong’s phenomenal hat-trick contributed to a commanding victory for Mumbai Indians over UP Warriorz in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) Eliminator at DY Patil Sports Academy on Friday. The triumph secured a spot for Mumbai Indians in the final against Delhi Capitals on Sunday.
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Sciver-Brunt’s 72 from 38 balls and Wong’s four-wicket haul, including a hat-trick, were the highlights of the match. UP Warriorz faced an uphill battle, chasing a target of 183 runs. Their innings got off to a rough start when Shweta Sehrawat was dismissed for 1 in the second over by Saika Ishaque, with the team’s score at 8/1. Alyssa Healy, the UP Warriorz skipper, was soon caught by Harmanpreet Kaur for 11 off Wong’s bowling. The situation worsened as Tahila McGrath was run out for 7.
Kiran Navgire and Grace Harris formed a partnership, pushing their team past the 50-run mark in 6.4 overs. The 35-run partnership ended when Sciver-Brunt dismissed Harris for 14, leaving UP Warriorz at 56/4. Deepti Sharma joined Navgire at the crease, but Wong wreaked havoc in the 13th over, taking the wickets of Navgire, Simran Shaikh, and Sophie Ecclestone in quick succession, leaving UP Warriorz reeling at 84/7.
As Mumbai Indians closed in on victory, Hayley Matthews dismissed Sharma in the following over. UP Warriorz limped to the 100-run mark in 15.5 overs and lost their eighth wicket for 94. Jintimani Kalita and Saika Ishaque took the wickets of Anjali Sarvani and Rajeshwari Gayakwad, respectively, sealing a resounding 72-run win for Mumbai Indians.
Earlier in the day, Mumbai Indians openers Yastika Bhatia and Matthews got off to a strong start after being put in to bat. They rotated the strike effectively and punished loose balls. Yastika, the more aggressive of the two, was dismissed for 21 by Sarvani. Sciver-Brunt then joined Matthews at the crease, and the pair scored steadily, hitting regular boundaries.
Matthews’s 26-run innings was ended by 16-year-old Parshavi Chopra, after which captain Harmanpreet Kaur entered the fray. Sciver-Brunt accelerated the scoring with consecutive sixes and boundaries, while Kaur was dismissed for 14 by Sophie Ecclestone. Amelie Kerr came to the crease and Sciver-Brunt continued her onslaught, reaching her fifty in just 26 balls.
Sciver-Brunt then hit Rajeshwari Gayakwad for consecutive boundaries, scoring 13 runs in the 17th over. Kerr was dismissed for 29 by Ecclestone, and Pooja Vastrakar joined Sciver-Brunt at the crease. Together, they scored 18 runs off Deepti Sharma’s final over, including two sixes and a boundary, guiding Mumbai Indians to a formidable total of 182/4 in 20 overs.
Brief score:
- Mumbai Indians 182/4 (Nat Sciver-Brunt 72*, Amelie Kerr 29; Sophie Ecclestone 2-39)
- UP Warriorz 110/4 (Kiran Navgire 43; Issy Wong 4/15).
- Full Scorecard: WPL Live Score Today
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