WPL 2023: Eliminator, Mumbai Indians vs UP Warriorz, Top Performances: Nat Sciver Brunt’s 72*, Issy Wong’s 4-15 and Kiran Navgire’s 43 off 27 are top performances. MI Women beat UP Warriorz and advance to WPL Finals.
Brief Scores: Mumbai Indians 182-4(Nat Sciver Brunt 72*, Amelia Kerr 29, Sophie Ecclestone 4-0-39-2) beat UP Warriorz 110-10 (Kiran Navgire 43, Issy Wong 4-0-15-4) by 72 runs.
Player of the Match: Nat Sciver Brunt 72*(38) & 3-0-21-1
Mumbai Indians beat UP Warriorz by 72 runs in the eliminator match in Women’s Premier League 2023 at the DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai on March 24.
UPW invited MI to bat first. MI got off to a decent start in powerplay scoring 46/1. Nat Sciver Brunt’s power hitting, scoring 72* off 38, there were 30+ runs partnership with each wicket fall, significant contributions from each of the MI batters and no dip in the scoring rate which ensured that MI put in a dominating total of 182/4 in the first innings. UPW faltered badly in the run chase, courtesy of tight and attacking bowling from MI which fetched them wickets at regular intervals and denied every sort of comeback for UPW, Issy Wong’s hat-trick placed the final nail in the coffin for UPW. It was an all round clinical performance for MI.
UPW opted to bowl first, they got the first wicket of Yastika Bhatia at 31, but they were unable to apply pressure on Mumbai’s scoring even if they lost a few wickets. Even though the fielding was awful, UPW dropped Brunt at 6 and Hailey Matthews at 19 respectively. Brunt completely exploited the conditions from the lifeline she received off her dropped catch and scored a quickfire 72* off 38 balls to hurt UPW dearly. UPW batting order boasts off the names of potential match winners of Alyssa Healy, Tahlia McGrath, Grace Harris and Deepti Sharma, but it was such an off day for UPW that nobody really clicked today.
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Mumbai Indians sealed the final spot
UPW skipper Alyssa Healy won the toss and decided to field first in the first ever eliminator of WPL against MI. MI started decently scoring 46 runs in powerplay overs losing Bhatia who tried to reach to an outswinger ball from Anjali Sarvani and miscued it completely to hand an easy catch to Kiran Navgire and scored 21 off 18. Then Brunt and Matthews steadied the MI innings and stitched a 38 runs partnership and both Brunt and Matthews were dropped at 6 and 19 respectively. Mathews couldn’t continue longer and her innings ended at 26(26) after mistiming a pull shot off the delivery of U-19 sensation Parshavi Chopra. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur joined Brunt, and she could only score 14 runs off 15 balls and Sophie Ecclestone just cleaned her stumps up. Brunt was at her hitting best today who had single-handedly destroyed the bowling of UPW without being stressed about losing wickets at the other end, she continued with her free flowing shots. In the end she was well-supported by Amelia Kerr who scored 29 off 19 balls, who got dismissed by Ecclestone. Brunt remained unbeaten at 72* off 38 and the little cameo innings from Pooja Vastrakar steered MI to 182-4.
In a bid to chase 183, UPW had the worst possible start and lost the wicket of Shweta Sehrawat who scored just 1 off 8 balls who tried to contemplate for the five dot balls, played a wrong shot and handed a wicket maiden over to Saika Ishaque. Skipper Healy couldn’t stay longer and the ball took a thick leading edge of her bat off an outswinger of Issy Wong, she could score only 11 off 6. McGrath also couldn’t sustain longer and got run out off a direct hit from Amanjot Kaur and her innings ended at 7 off 6. Navgire and Harris tried to resurrect things for UPW and helped the team to score 46/3 at the end of powerplay. They both were involved in a 31 run partnership to rescue UPW off a despicable start. The required rate was creeping up and the pressure of scoring consistent boundaries got the better of Harris today, who got dismissed on 14 off 12 off an off pace delivery from Brunt. Navgire, the lone warrior for UPW tried her best efforts to keep UPW in the hunt but losing partners at the other end and the creeping required run rate didn’t help her cause, she tried to keep up with the ante and got dismissed by Issy Wong. Wong didn’t stop here and claimed three wickets of Navgire, Simran Shaikh and Ecclestone to claim the first ever hat-trick for WPL. Deepti Sharma, the last known batter for UPW, also joined the bandwagon of rest of the batters of UPW and got dismissed at 16 off 20 by Matthews. UPW was bundled out on a scoreline of 110/10 and handed Mumbai Indians an easy win by 72 runs.
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Nat Sciver Brunt lived up to her reputation
The first ever eliminator of WPL shall be remembered for the blistering innings of Nat Sciver Brunt who scored an unbeaten 72 off 38 to guide MI to 182/4. UPW dropped her at 6 and Brunt’s innings made UPW pay heavily for the dropped catch. She was just unstoppable, hitting clean, powerful shots and taking bowlers to the cleaners. She stayed till the end of Mumbai innings, did the bulk scoring single-handedly most of the time and was involved in vital partnerships with Matthews and Kerr. Her innings proved today why England counts on her when it’s a big match day, and today she delivered the same for MI. She wasn’t quite consistent with scoring in WPL, she scored 0 and 13 before the eliminator match, but what better way to get back in form in eliminator. In her innings, she had hit 9 fours and 2 sixes with an impressive strike rate of 189.47. She also impressed everyone with her bowling and took the most important wicket of Harris, who had earlier snatched matches from the jaws of defeat for UPW.
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Issy Wong claims ever hat-trick of WPL
The jubilant English bowler Wong exuded her confidence and broke the spine of UPW batting order. She claimed the important wicket of Healy in the powerplay overs and the caliber of Healy’s batting, who can win you matches single-handedly, couldn’t happen tonight. She also claimed the important wicket of Navgire who was the best batter for UPW but devoid of strong partners at the other end, in the next two deliveries she dismissed Shaikh and Ecclestone to claim the first ever hat-trick in WPL. From 84-4 to 84-7, she completely dashed the hopes of UPW of getting any closer to the target. She ended her bowling spell with a marvellous bowling spell of 4-0-15-4.
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Kiran Navgire was short of a decent batting partner at the other end
Among the bigger names of Healy, McGrath, Harris, Sharma, the only saving grace which stood out for UPW today was Navgire. Navgire came out to bat when the team lost both the openers Healy and Sehrawat at only 12 runs, she did put in her best of efforts and scored 43 off 27 which included 4 fours and 3 sixes at an amazing S/R of 159.26. If not for Navgire’s innings today, UPW would have found it really hard to cross the 100 mark as well. Navgire was stranded at one end and wickets kept on trickling one after the other at the other end. But Navgire’s heroic effort was not adequate enough to rescue UPW off the shambles.
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