🏏WPL 2023 - Mumbai Indians W vs Gujarat Giants W, Match 12 🏏

⭐️It is not enough to fight. It is the spirit that we bring to the sport that decides the matches. It is morale that wins the victory.⭐️

🏏WPL 2023 - Mumbai Indians W vs Gujarat Giants W, Match 12 🏏

As they prepare for the first reverse fixture, Gujarat Giants need no reminders of what happened in the tournament opener against Mumbai Indians.

Their campaign unraveled pretty quickly from the moment they lost the regular skipper Beth Mooney to injury in the first over of that 200-plus chase. GGT couldn't also get one of their overseas players to make the trip.

The vice-captain, now elevated to the leadership role, has been playing with a heavily strapped hand, and some of the selection/non-selection decisions have been puzzling.

As such, the Giants are placed fourth in a five-team table, having beaten only the win-less RCB so far in the first leg of WPL 2023.

Barring that and the last-over thriller they lost to UP Warriorz, two comprehensive defeats have severely impacted their NRR too.

Harleen Deol is the only exception in an otherwise inconsistent batting order, though D Hemalatha has been commendable in the role of a finisher/power-hitter albeit without any notable big scores.

Likewise, Sophia Dunkley got a harsh deal being dropped from the XI for replacement player Laura Wolvaardt, a day after scoring the tournament's fastest fifty (18 balls) - an error in judgement Giants accepted at the end of the game.

The Harmanpreet Kaur-led MI side started the fireworks 10 days ago and none of the four opponents have been able to douse the fire yet.

They've convincingly thrashed all four opponents in the first half of the tournament - including the Meg Lanning-led Delhi Capitals - to firmly hold on to the top spot in the standings.

Thanks for the tag Madhu.🤗

Most likely MI W is going to win. 👍🏼

Cheers..

Giants have been guilty of leaking plenty of runs in the death overs and overall bowling also hasn't seen a stand-out performance besides a fifer on debut from Kim Garth, who flew in as replacement for the unavailable Deandra Dottin. Amidst these consistency concerns, GGT are faced with an uphill task of trying to end MI's unbeaten run, and revive their campaign in the process.

Purple Cap holder left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque has been leading the bowling unit, having snapped 12 of the 36 wickets MI picked up in the four games so far, while three of their top-four are in the top-10 run-getters list of the season. If at all, the only concern for MI could be that their middle-lower order batting has gone largely untested, with the openers, skipper Harmanpreet and Nat Sciver-Brunt doing the bulk of work to script easy wins.

Thanks for tag. M sure MI will win

What to expect: The wicket did offer some turn in the second innings of the last match played at the CCI. The 200+ pitches at the start of the season are starting to wear off (only if slightly) and that will see a drop in par scores in the 170 range. The dew so far has been minimal, though.

Team News

Mumbai Indians

Pooja Vastrakar sat out MI's last game due to an undisclosed injury. The seriousness of it is unknown, but should she have recovered, the all-rounder could walk straight back into the XI.

Probable XI: Yastika Bhatia (wk), Hayley Matthews, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Amelia Kerr, Dhara Gujjar/Pooja Vastrakar, Issy Wong, Amanjot Kaur, Humaira Kazi, Jintimani Kalita, Saika Ishaque

Gujarat Giants

Head coach Rachael Haynes admitted, in hindsight, that benching Dunkley just after she hit the fastest fifty of the competition was an error on their part. It's difficult to see Wolvaardt retaining her place in the XI unless GGT decide to go a bowler short, and also unfair to see her getting dropped after a failure in just the debut game.

Probable XI: Sabbhineni Meghana, Laura Wolvaardt/Sophia Dunkley, Harleen Deol, Ashleigh Gardner, Georgia Wareham/Annabel Sutherland, Sushma Verma (wk), Dayalan Hemalatha, Sneh Rana (c), Kim Garth, Mansi Joshi, Tanuja Kanwar

What they said?

"I'm getting a chance to open the innings so that's better for me because since childhood, I've always been an opener. So, this role suits me and I really enjoy biting at the top of the order because I can get as many balls to build my innings." - Yastika Bhatia is enjoying her role as MI opener.

Mumbai Indians Women vs Gujarat Giants Pitch Report

The pitch at Brabourne Stadium provides early movement to the pacers but overall it’s a good batting wicket. With the pitch being fresh, a lot of runs is on the offer with top-order firepower on the offer. The gulf in quality of international cricketers and Indian domestic bowlers could lead to some serious run show as well.

Table-toppers Mumbai Indians will take on fourth-placed Gujarat Giants at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai today.

Having faced each other in the season opener, the Giants will be hoping to put up a better show in its first reverse fixture, given that it lost by 143 runs last time out.

Weather Report Of Mumbai

The weather in Mumbai is forecasted to be Sunny and it will remain the same throughout the day.

There is a 2% chance of rain. The temperature is expected to be 27 degrees Celsius and the humidity to be 54%.

Fantasy Cricket Expert Tips: The weather condition will favor the seamers.

Pitch Report - Runs aplenty here at the CCI. We're playing on the same surface as that of the last game, but the pitch is changing a bit with more spin, on surfaces that are becoming used. The spinners could have a role to play once again tonight.

Mithali Raj | Gujarat Giants Mentor - This isn't an ideal situation, but if we're to finish in the top-3, the next 4 games will be very crucial, we've worked out a few plans and we need the players to implement it going forward. The batting hasn't been consistent, the top-order has to come good if you're to get scores around 180-200, they've to work on partnerships. The decision is from the coach and the management (on dropping Sophia Dunkley in the last game), Laura Wolvaardt is known for playing 20 overs, Meghana is the explosive player from the other end, we wanted her to anchor once end and that was the reason for her playing. Every team will have strategies, but it's important to execute them. MI have gone undefeated so far, but it's a fresh game and we've not lost at this venue. There are a lot of controllable as a player, but as a mentor, you can only chip in off the field. It's challenging in both roles, but I'm enjoying it, helping the players gain confidence as they step into the field.