MUMBAI STORMS INTO FINAL
Wong and Nat Sciver-Brunt help Indians earn 72-run win over UP Warriorz
MUMBAI: Isabelle Wong (4/15) recorded the first hat-trick of the Women’s Premier League after Nat Sciver-Brunt’s brutal 38-ball 72 as Mumbai Indians stormed into the final with a 72-run drubbing of UP Warriorz in the Eliminator here on Friday.
The final of the inaugural WPL will be played between the two best sides that occupied the top two spots of the points table with 12 points each, Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians, on Sunday at the Brabourne Stadium.
Having set a daunting 183-run target, Mumbai Indians blew away what had been a resolute top and middle-order of the UP Warriorz, with Wong producing a superb hat-trick in the 13th over to seal the outcome in favour of her side.
After removing the dangerous Alyssa Healy (11) early and getting rid of an on-song Kiran Navgire (43), Wong cleaned up Simran Sheikh (0) and Sophie Ecclestone (0) to take a wicket each on the second, third and the fourth deliveries of her third over to produce a match-winning spell.
UP Warriorz was shot out for a mere 110 in 17.4 overs.
Navgire waged a lone battle for UP Warrioz with an entertaining 27-ball 43 with four fours and three sixes, but none of the other batters troubled the scorers in what turned out to be a one-sided contest.
UP Warriorz was off to a disastrous start, losing openers Healy and Shweta Sehrawat (1) inside the first three overs.
While Saika Ishaque (2.4-1-242) produced a wicket-maiden second over that included the scalp of Sehrawat, Wong got Healy caught by her counterpart Harmanpreet Kaur at mid-off in the third.
Mumbai dealt another severe blow on the UP Warriorz when batting mainstay Tahlia McGrath (7) was run out in the fifth over while trying to steal a single from a packed off-side field.
With its backs pressed firmly against the wall, Navgire took the attack to Mumbai with two fours and a six off Ishaque and Grace Harris also got a four. The sixth over yielded 20 runs for UP
Warriorz, which was 46/3 at the end of the powerplay.
Navgire also got a lifeline when she tried to clear the ropes again, off Amelia Kerr, with Hayley Matthews (1/21) spilling a regulation chance.
Navgire and Harris’ fourth-wicket stand for 35 runs was eventually broken in the eighth over when Sciver-Brunt claimed her first wicket, getting the latter caught by Wong for 14. At the halfway stage, UP Warriorz was 63/4.
Navgire then smacked two sixes off Kerr and Deepti Sharma (16) got a four to collect 19 runs from the 12th over, but Mumbai Indians broke their stand soon.
Navgire perished after playing one straight to deep midwicket, after a quickfire 43, off Wong.
BRIEF SCORES: Mumbai Indians 182/4 in 20 overs (NS Brunt 72*) bt UP Warriorz 110 in 17.4 overs (K Navgire 43, I Wong 4/15)