Mumbai Indians’ decision to bowl first was supported by their new recruit, Shabnim Ismail, who dismantled Shafali Verma’s stumps in the third over, drawing first blood for the team. However, Mumbai’s bowlers struggled to make further breakthroughs until halfway through the innings, as Meg Lanning and Alice Capsey forged a solid 64-run partnership.
While Lanning anchored the innings with a steady 31, Capsey’s aggressive intent shone through with a brisk 75 off 53 balls, reaching her fifty in quick time. Jemimah Rodrigues also contributed with a sensible 42 off 24 balls. Despite the challenges posed by dew, Mumbai Indians’ fielding and bowling departments faltered, allowing the opposition to capitalize.
Although Amelia Kerr and Nat-Sciver Brunt dismissed the well-set batters in the 18th and 19th overs respectively, Marizanne Kapp’s quickfire 16 off 9 balls propelled the total to 171/5 in 20 overs. In the second innings, Marizanne Kapp struck early, removing Hayley Matthews in the second ball of the innings, but Yastika Bhatia and Nat-Sciver Brunt stabilized the chase.
Bhatia, after a cautious start, accelerated alongside Brunt, taking the team to 50 runs within the powerplay. However, Arundhati Reddy dismissed Bhatia immediately after the powerplay, leaving Mumbai Indians at 50/2. Harmanpreet Kaur and Yastika then stitched together a vital 56-run partnership for the third wicket, with Yastika notching her maiden WPL fifty.
𝙐𝙉𝘽𝙀𝙇𝙄𝙀𝙑𝘼𝘽𝙇𝙀!
— Women's Premier League (WPL) (@wplt20) February 23, 2024
5 off 1 needed and S Sajana seals the game with a MAXIMUM very first ball🤯💥
A final-over thriller in the very first game of #TATAWPL Season 1 🤩🔥
Scorecard 💻📱 https://t.co/GYk8lnVpA8#TATAWPL | #MIvDC pic.twitter.com/Lb6WUzeya0
Reddy returned to claim her third wicket in the 14th over, removing Bhatia, but Kerr joined the skipper to add crucial runs, setting up a thrilling final over. Shikha Pandey dismissed Kerr in the 18th over, and Alice Capsey’s dismissal of Pooja Vastrakar in the first ball of the 20th over leveled the contest.
With five runs needed off the last ball, Harmanpreet was caught in the deep, setting the stage for Kerala’s experienced batter, S Sajana, whose well-timed shot secured victory for the Mumbai Indians.
