The opening game of the inaugural Women’s Premier League turned out not so different from the first-ever IPL game, except Mumbai Indians defeated Gujarat Giants by a much larger victory than Kolkata Knight Riders’ 82-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the summer of 2008. Harmanpreet Kaur and company have effectively sent out a warning to rival sides of the threat that they possess and have asserted themselves as genuine title contenders from the word go. Gujarat Giants, meanwhile, will be sweating over skipper Mooney’s fitness as they UP Warriorz in less than 24 hours!
With that, we come to the end of our coverage of the opening game of the Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Giants clash. On behalf of my colleagues at Firstpost Sports, this is Amit signing off, wishing you all a good night!
Mumbai Indians skipper Harmanpreet Kaur is the Player of the Match for her 30-ball 65!
GG vs MI WPL 2023 LIVE
After 15.1 overs,Gujarat Giants 64/9 ( Dayalan Hemalatha 26, )
BOWLED! That’s it from the opening game of the inaugural WPL, as Ishaque castles Patel to grab her fourth wicket as Mumbai Indians hammer Gujarat Giants by 143 runs to open their account in style!
Patel b Ishaque 10(9)
GG vs MI WPL 2023 LIVE
After 14 overs,Gujarat Giants 56/8 ( Dayalan Hemalatha 26, Monica Patel 5)
No 11 batter Monica Patel shows a semblance of fight with a lofted drive over mid off off Jintimani Kalita. Seven off the Assamese seamer’s second over, with Gujarat going past 50.
Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Giants LIVE Score
OUT! Third wicket for Ishaque in her first appearance on the big stage as she traps Mansi Joshi LBW! The umpire initially ruled it not out, with skipper Harmanpreet signalling for the review. And Joshi was hit on the knee flap while attempting a cut. GG 49/8
Joshi LBW Ishaque 6(19)
Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Giants LIVE Score
SIX! Smashed straight over the bowler’s head by Hemalatha off Vastrakar’s bowling, moving into the 20s in the process! Can she get to a half-century from here and provide some respectability to the Gujarat batting performance? GG 44/7
GG vs MI WPL 2023 LIVE
After 10 overs,Gujarat Giants 36/7 ( Dayalan Hemalatha 17, Mansi Joshi 1)
FOUR! Firmly cut behind point by Hemalatha as Kerr ends up leaking 12 runs in her second over after starting off with a double-wicket maiden!
Gujarat Giants vs Mumbai Indians LIVE Score
SIX! Hemalatha collects the first maximum of the innings, smashing Kerr over long on to become the first Gujarat batter to enter double figures! GG 30/7
GG vs MI WPL 2023 LIVE
After 9 overs,Gujarat Giants 24/7 ( Dayalan Hemalatha 6, Mansi Joshi 0)
The umpires signal the first strategic timeout of the innings, with not much left for Gujarat to play for other than trying and scoring some big runs and narrowly the gap with Mumbai keeping in mind the NRR that could prove crucial later in the tournament. For now, they’ll hope to bat out the remaining overs and avoid getting bowled out.
Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Giants LIVE Score
OUT! That’s two wickets for Amelia Kerr inside her first over as Tanuja Kanwar ends up steering the ball straight to Nat Sciver-Brunt at cover! With Mooney still in the dugout, the Giants effectively are 23/8 at the moment! What’s more, Kerr follows up her blazing 45 not out with a double-wicket maiden! GG 23/7
Kanwar c Sciver-Brunt b Kerr 0(3)