GG vs MI, Match 3: A day to remember for New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr. The spin-bowling all-rounder put up a splendid display with both bat and ball to hand the Gujarat Giants a comprehensive 5-wicket win. After winning the toss and electing to bowl first, the Mumbai Indians completely dominated the Giants.
Ismail and Kerr cause the Giants to err
Shabnim Ismail and Amelia Kerr singlehandedly downed the Giants. The pacer from South Africa cleaned up the Top 3 (Beth Mooney, Harleen Doel, and Veda Krishnamurthy) while Kerr’s leg-spin dismantled the lower order, sending the last four players back into the hut.
Having restricted GG to just 126, it seemed like the defending champions would chase the target down like a walk in the park. However, the Giants made it a bit tough after Kathryn Bryce sent Yastika Bhatia back and Tanuja Kanwar ended Hayley Matthews’ scratchy knock. Nat Sciver-Brunt was run out, and Mumbai saw themselves at 49/3.
However, that’s when Kerr joined skipper Harmanpreet Kaur in the middle, and they stitched a match-winning 66-run stand. Kerr departed for a well-made 31 and Pooja Vastrakar failed to make an impact, but the Mumbai Indians still managed to cross the line comfortably.
GG vs MI: Brief Scores
Gujarat Giants: 126/9 (Tanuja Kanwar 28, Kathryn Bryce 25; Amelia Kerr 4/17, Shabnim Ismail 3/18)
Mumbai Indians: 129/5 (Harmanpreet Kaur 46, Amelia Kerr 31; Tanuja Kanwar 2/21, Lea Tahuhu 1/17)
GG vs MI: Playing XIs
Gujarat Giants: Beth Mooney (c & wk), Veda Krishnamurthy, Phoebe Litchfield, Harleen Deol, Ashleigh Gardner. Dayalan Hemalatha, Sneh Rana, Tanuja Kanwar, Kathryn Bryce, Lea Tahuhu, Meghna Singh.
Mumbai Indians: Hayley Matthews, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (c). Amelia Kerr, Pooja Vastrakar, Amanjot Kaur, S Sajana, Shabnim Ismail, Keerthana Balakrishnan, Saika Ishaque.