Mooney and Hemalatha’s efforts in vain as Harmanpreet’s blitzkrieg takes MI home
Picture this. You are chasing 191 to win. Two of your marquee players have brought the ask down from 70 runs needed off 26 balls to 23 needed off the last 12. Just as the nervous energy peaks in the stadium, the sprinkler system comes on.
This was how bizarre proceedings were at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here in what turned out to be a humdinger between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Giants. Harmanpreet Kaur (95 n.o, 48b, 10x5, 5x6) was a player possessed as she carried MI to a memorable sevenwicket.
Positive start
Yastika Bhatia (49, 36b, 8x4, 1x6) and Hayley Matthews began positively, but the Giants made early inroads. Shabnam Shakil snapped up Nat SciverBrunt for her maiden WPL wicket, leaving MI with a little over 90 runs to get with 6.3 overs left to get it.
Mooney tried her best to contain Harmanpreet, who was already riled up courtesy some sloppy fielding from her teammates, but in vain.
A 19run over from Meghna Singh helped the 35yearold sink her teeth into the wicket. With the equation down to 65 from 24, Harmanpreet maximised a Shabnam over to get 18 runs on the board with Kerr, after which she took Sneh Rana to the cleaners, scoring 24 runs from the 18th over.
As the match reached its boiling point, the irrigation system by the boundary cushions came on. Mooney refused to play on a wet outfield prompting an eightminute delay in proceedings.
However, Harmanpreet and Kerr managed the unthinkable with a ball to spare.
Harmanpreet’s incensed avatar which helped her side pull off the highest chase in WPL history, eclipsed a spectacular partnership between Mooney (66, 35b, 8x4, 3x6) and D. Hemalatha (74, 40b, 9x4, 2x6).
The pair stitched a 121run stand in just 62 balls, with the Giants a 200plus score.
However, a choke by the middle and lower order saw the Giants finish with 190, a score that would ultimately melt before the wrath of the Indian captain.