Indian women’s cricket team captain, Harmanpreet Kaur silenced her critics with a brilliant half-century in the opening game of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024. Kaur scored 55 off 34 balls as Mumbai Indians (MI) beat Delhi Capitals (DC) by four wickets in a last-ball thriller at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday.
Kaur’s knock was a welcome sight for the Indian management and fans, who were worried about her poor form in the recent home series against England and Australia. The 34-year-old had failed to cross the double-digit mark in seven consecutive white-ball innings, scoring only 92 runs in her last eight T20Is and as many in her last seven ODIs.
With the Women’s T20 World Cup just seven months away, Kaur was under some pressure to perform in the WPL, which is being considered as a preparatory tournament for the global event.
However, she has put all the doubts to rest with a match-winning knock in the opening game which also earned her the player of the match award.
Kaur came to the crease when MI needed 122 runs from 82 balls. She played second fiddle to Yastika Bhatia but took the attack after wicketkeeper’s dismissal.
The MI skipper was dismissed in the penultimate over, but MI managed to win the game, thanks to a six from Sajana off the last ball.
