WPL 2024: Captain Harmanpreet slams unbeaten 95 as Mumbai crush Gujarat to qualify for playoffs

Mumbai Indians star batter Harmanpreet Kaur played a captain’s knock to guide her team home and to the top of the points table with a comfortable win over struggling Gujarat Giants in WPL 2024. The right-handed batter hit an unbeaten 95 to see her team through as Mumbai won the match by seven wickets. Keeper batter Yastika Bhatia smashed 49 at the top as MI chased 190 with one ball remaining.

This win also saw Mumbai Indians qualify for the playoffs for the second season running. For the record, this 191-run chase is also the highest run-chase in tournament history.

Meanwhile, Gujarat elected to bat first after winning the toss. Hayley Matthews got the first wicket of the day, removing Laura Wolvaardt, but a 121-run stand between Beth Mooney and Dayalan Hemalatha bailed the bottom-placed team out of trouble. The pair hit the ground running from the word go, with each completing her respective fifty.

While Mooney was the first to depart on 66, Shabnim Ismail got Hemalatha's wicket on 74.

Bharati Fulmali could only get into double digits as none of the batters could cross the 10-run mark.

Mumbai made a comeback in the second half of the first innings by restricting Gujarat to 190 for seven in 20 overs.

Harmanpreet gets MI a big win

Mumbai Indians entered this contest as favourites purely for the team they have and their players on song. Hayley Matthews and Bhatia got the MI side on track for the chase with a 50-run stand inside the Powerplay. Gujarat removed Matthews and Nat Sciver-Brunt early afterwards, only for Harmanpreet to take centre stage and turn things around on her head.

The MI captain began cautiously, scoring a run-a-ball at least until she crossed 20, but put in the fifth gear after the second strategic time out to put GG on the backfoot.

In no time she completed her fifty and soon approached her maiden WPL hundred this season. Alongside Amelia Kerr, who just scored 12 off ten balls, Harmanpreet took the onus on her and single-handedly won the match for the team.

Mumbai has become the first team to qualify for the playoffs in the second edition of the WPL.