Mumbai Indians comfortably won their second game of the Women’s Premier League defeating the Gujarat Giants by five wickets at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on Sunday.
Chasing a modest target of 127, captain Harmanpreet Kaur led from the front again as she stitched a 66-run partnership with Amelia Kerr before the latter was dismissed by Lea Tahuhu for 31 runs.
Giants had made early inroads by dismissing openers Yastika Bhatia (7) and Hayley Matthews (7). A stunning effort in the field by Tanuja Kanwar ensured Nat Sciver-Brunt was run out for 22.
With nine runs needed off 21 balls, Kanwar bowled Pooja Vastrakar but it was a bit too late in the chase. Kaur’s partnership with Kerr had done enough damage in the run chase.
Kaur hit the winning runs off Sneh Rana to finish with an unbeaten 40 and take her team across the line.
Earlier, Mumbai Indians held off Gujarat Giants to a below-average total of 126/9 thanks to a superb bowling performance led by veteran pacer Shabnim Ismail and leg-spinner Kerr.
Having already retired from international cricket, Ismail (3/18) spearheaded Mumbai's bowling attack in the powerplay phase. Both Veda Krishnamurthy and Harleen Deol perished to deliveries which swung back into them with considerable pace.
The Giants ended the power play at 43 for three when pacer Sciver-Brunt removed Phoebe Litchfield in the sixth over, adding to their troubles. The Giants' innings never recovered after the early onslaught as they were unable to score a boundary in the ensuing 44 deliveries.
To make matters worse, they continued to lose wickets in regular intervals.
As Giants struggled for momentum and runs, Kerr (4/17) further compounded their problems by dismissing Ashleigh Gardner and Sneh Rana in the space of two balls in the 14th over.
Their score gained some respectability thanks to the eighth-wicket partnership of 48 runs between Tanuja Kanwar (28) and Kathryn Bryce (25 not out). However, the total did not prove to be enough in what turned out to be a comfortable chase for the Mumbai Indians.