Mumbai Indians Women vs Gujarat Giants Women, 19th Match, Women's Premier League 2026 - Commentary

That's all from our side from this game. We'll be back on Sunday for the DC Women vs UP Warriorz Women clash. Goodbye and good night!

Georgia Wareham | Player of the Match: Yeah, it was really nice to have an impact today with both bat and ball. I probably let myself down a little in both aspects during the first part of the season. So to contribute to a win tonight, I’m really happy with that. (how did she assess the conditions) I think what we’ve seen is that giving yourself a few balls to get going has been really important. Just allowing yourself that time to settle in. That’s what I tried to do today - give myself a few extra balls, get used to the pace, and then build from there. I think that’s been the trend across games here at Vadodara. (does batting help her bowling) I think batting definitely helps. Having a good understanding of how the conditions are playing makes a big difference. We’ve been pretty good batting first and then defending with the ball, so by the time I get the ball after the powerplay, I’ve got a fairly clear idea of what to expect. That said, our plans don’t change too much - we try to hit the stumps as much as possible and keep all modes of dismissal in play.

Ashleigh Gardner: (her feeling on finally winning against MI) Yeah, obviously really happy with that performance. We knew this game was almost like a quarterfinal to make the playoffs, so there was a lot riding on it. There were plenty of positives to take. Like you said, the stats told one story, but we knew today was a new game. We’d played some really good cricket against them earlier and just couldn’t get over the line. We believed what we were doing would work - we just needed to sustain it for longer. To be going into the playoffs with this group of players is really pleasing. (why batting first) I think it was a bit of both. We’ve won all our games batting first, so there’s confidence in that. If you look at our batting lineup, we want to take the game on in the powerplay and really set things up early, knowing we’ve got firepower through the middle and late order. If we can maximise those phases, it puts us in a strong position. I still think we could’ve pushed the total a bit more, if I’m being critical. But the bowlers did a fantastic job - taking wickets in clumps really stalls the run rate. And with Kaur out there at the end, we all know how damaging she can be, so we’re pleased to have got the win. (assessment for the bowling group) A bit of both. We saw that variation was key - the spinners played a big role, especially when the pace was taken off. Early on, the ball was gripping and turning, but once the dew sets in, it tends to skid on. We always talk about keeping the stumps in play for as long as possible. It sounds cliche, but on a black-soil wicket like this, the ball can shoot through and stay low. You want all modes of dismissal in play rather than bowling wide and letting batters settle. So for us, it was about keeping the plan really simple and executing it well. We know the world-class player Georgia is. We’ve seen it in the Big Bash back home, where she led from the front for the Renegades with both bat and ball. I’ve played a lot of cricket with her for Australia, so we know her capabilities. It’s about giving her the best opportunity to play the role we want her to play - coming in through the middle, taking the game away from the bowlers. And she’s one of the best leg-spinners in the world, so giving her the freedom to attack and take wickets in that middle phase was key. She did that brilliantly today.

Most matches won before first defeat vs a team in WPL
8 - MI vs GG 2026*
4 - DC vs RCB, 2024
3 - DC vs UPW, 2024
3 - MI vs RCB, 2024
3 - UPW vs GG, 2024

If DC wins vs UPW, they will qualify. If they lose, MI will go through.

UPW should beat the DC by 156 runs or more to finish above MI's NRR to qualify. (assuming first-innings scores of 200).

Harmanpreet Kaur vs GG-W
65(30)
51(30)
46*(41)
95*(48)
4(2)
54(33)
36(12)
71*(43)
82*(48)
Nine innings, 504 runs at 100.8, SR: 175.6

MI lost for the first time when Harmanpreet Kaur scored a fifty-plus. Her previous 10 fifties all came in MI wins.

First win for GG-W against MI-W after losing 8 successive WPL games.

Sophie Devine: (they were outstanding in the field and with the ball) Yeah, definitely. I thought we were probably a few runs short on the board, but the way Ash (Gardner) and Wolfie (Wareham) batted to get us to that score was fantastic. After that, it was up to the bowlers, and I thought the way we fielded today was excellent. We demanded a lot from our fielders and knew that could be the difference, and I thought we were really good. To hold our nerve against a Mumbai side - and especially when Harman is hitting the ball like that - full credit to the team. (first 10 overs of their bowling set it up) Yeah, especially on this wicket, which was a bit tougher. Taking early wickets, particularly in the powerplay and the first 10 overs, is always crucial. We know that no matter where you play, those early breakthroughs help set the game up. Getting rid of players like Nat and Hayley, who can cause serious damage, was a big help. That said, when Harman gets on a roll, it sometimes feels like no total is big enough. But the first 10 overs were outstanding, and to maintain that intensity till the end and just sneak home was really nice. (what's the difference to them when batting first) I’m not entirely sure what the difference is, because it’s the same lineup. I think we’ve just had really good success batting first. I know the trend has been ridiculous - something like 40 tosses in a row where teams chose to bowl first - but on a wicket we thought would tire, having first use of it helped. We back ourselves batting first. That said, we’re also comfortable chasing. And Ash is a pretty hopeless tosser, so it doesn’t really matter what we want - we just get told what to do anyway. (how do they approach the break) Yeah, look, I’ll probably see you (Dagnall) and Marto (Katey Martin) at the golf course tomorrow. I’m having a buzz. But jokes aside, it’s really important that we take a couple of days off. Knowing we’ve locked in our spot and don’t play until Tuesday is nice. Rest and recovery at this stage of the tournament are crucial. This is the business end, and you want everyone as fresh as possible. It’s been a real rollercoaster for all teams, and the fact that things are still going down to the last group game shows how competitive it’s been. We’ll enjoy tonight and celebrate the win, but over the next few days we’ll start building again towards the eliminator on Tuesday, staying consistent with how we train and prepare.

Harmanpreet Kaur: For the first six overs, we weren’t able to execute our batting plans. Unfortunately, we lost an early wicket and couldn’t score enough runs. We were hoping to build two solid partnerships, but sadly today we didn’t have any impactful ones. (her feeling at the halfway stage of the chase) I kept telling myself that I had to keep batting. At the other end, I was definitely looking for support, but unfortunately today no one was able to provide that. These things happen in games where there’s a lot of pressure. Sometimes the team isn’t able to execute the plans. Overall though, it was a good game. (about sloppy fielding) Yes, while fielding we did miss a few chances. I think we gave away around 16-17 extra runs, and that cost us. Still, we have a very good batting side. If there had been even one partnership with me, I think it could have changed the scenario. We tried our level best, but unfortunately we couldn’t win the game. (her thinking in the last couple of overs) I was calculating how many sixes we needed. At that point, I think it was around seven or eight. I was thinking that if I could face more balls and hit those sixes, it could change the game for us. But they executed their plans really well. We knew what they were going to bowl, and I understood their strategy, but full credit to their bowling unit - they bowled very well. (they are not out of the tournament yet) Yes, I like to focus on things that are in my control. If things go our way, we’ll be very happy. The good thing is that the tournament is still on. Let’s see what happens tomorrow. Today was something we wanted to focus on more, but unfortunately we couldn’t do what we had planned.

22:52 Local Time, 17:22 GMT, 22:52 IST: Another entertaining clash in WPL 2026. Gujarat Giants made the most of their decision to bat, posting a strong 167/4 with positive intent throughout the innings. Georgia Wareham and Ashleigh Gardner anchored the effort with timely contributions, lifting the Giants comfortably past the 165-run mark. Mumbai Indians’ chase, however, got off to a shaky start as early wickets left them reeling at 37/3 inside 7 overs. Just as the contest threatened to slip away, Harmanpreet Kaur and Amelia Kerr combined to steady the ship with a vital partnership. Wareham’s breakthrough to dismiss Kerr in the 12th over stalled the momentum, but Harmanpreet stood firm, battling until the very end to ensure a close encounter. The Gujarat Giants players look happy as they thank the crowd by waving at them near the sidelines. Stay around for the presentations..

The Gujarat Giants have this in their bag - 13 runs needed in 1 ball

Ashleigh Gardner to Poonam Khemnar, THATS OUT!! Caught&Bowled!!