Nat Sciver-Brunt and Hayley Matthews propelled Mumbai Indians to their second WPL final as their explosive knocks laid the foundation for the team’s 47-run triumph over Gujarat Giants in the Eliminator here on Thursday. After a relatively quiet powerplay, Sciver-Brunt (77 off 41) and Matthews (77 off 50) unleashed sheer power to propel Mumbai Indians to a formidable 213 for four.
Mumbai Indians skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (36 off 12) added the finishing touches with a fluent cameo. After a lackluster performance in the field and with the ball, the Giants found themselves in self-destructive mode during the chase, with three run-outs highlighting their struggles.
Their innings wrapped up at 166 all out in 19.2 overs, with Matthews also making an impact with the ball, picking up two wickets. It marked Mumbai Indians’ seventh consecutive victory over the Giants in WPL history. Mumbai Indians the winners of the inaugural edition in 2023, will face Delhi Capitals in the final on Saturday.
Debutant Daniell Gibson (34 off 24) and Phoebe Litchfield (31 off 20) looked dangerous, but the regular fall of wickets kept pushing the Giants on the back foot. The standout moment of Litchfield’s innings was her stunning switch hit against Matthews.
Skipper Ashleigh Gardner, who had rescued her team on multiple occasions, endured a rare off day with the bat. Indian batter Bharti Fulmali tried to delay the inevitable with a spirited 30 off 20 balls. After finishing last in the previous two seasons, reaching the knockouts was a commendable achievement for Gujarat Giants.
Earlier, Sciver-Brunt, the backbone of Mumbai Indians’ batting, ruthlessly took on both pacers and spinners, smashing 10 fours and two sixes. Realizing Mumbai had managed only 37 runs in the powerplay, Matthews and Sciver-Brunt shifted gears.
While the England batter launched an assault on debutant pacer Danielle Gibson, Matthews punished leg-spinner Priya Mishra with three consecutive boundaries. Matthews, who started cautiously before accelerating, reached her fifty in style with a six off a short delivery from left-arm spinner Tanuja Kanwer.
In the death overs, Harmanpreet set the stage on fire, launching four sixes in her blistering knock. Mumbai Indians hammered 73 runs in the final five overs, finishing with a flourish.
WPL 2025 Points Table: After GG W vs MI W Eliminator Match
| Team Name | Played | Won | Lost | NRR | Form | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delhi Capitals | 8 | 5 | 3 | +0.396 | L W W | 10 |
| Mumbai Indians | 8 | 5 | 3 | +0.192 | L W W | 10 |
| Gujarat Giants | 8 | 4 | 4 | +0.228 | L W W | 8 |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 8 | 3 | 5 | -0.196 | W L L | 6 |
| UP Warriorz | 8 | 3 | 5 | -0.624 | W L L | 6 |
