3 landmarks reached during MI's 42-run win vs UPW in Match 14
Match 14 of the ongoing Women's Premier League (WPL) 2024 saw Mumbai Indians (MI) steamroll past UP Warriorz (UPW) by 42 runs at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday.
After opting to bat first, MI had a dodgy start, losing both their openers within first four overs. Nat Sciver-Brunt then played a solid innings of 45, while skipper Harmanpreet Kaur also added 33 runs.
However, UPW bowlers continued to keep the run rate in check with regular wickets. In the death overs, MI made a slight comeback on the back of Amelia Kerr's 39 and S Sajana's 14-ball 22*. As a result, the defending champions put a first-innings total of 160 runs.
Unfortunately for UPW, their chase never really began. The top three batters got dismissed on single-digit scores before getting reduced to 69/6.
While Deepti Sharma got a fifty to her name, she failed to get any support from the other end as MI restricted UPW to 118/9, thus winning the encounter by 42 runs. Saika Ishaque bagged three wickets for 27 runs in her quota of four overs.
On that note, here are three records that were broken during the recent UPW vs MI game in Delhi.
#1 Most bowlers used in a WPL innings
A unique feat took place in Match 14 of WPL 2024 between UP and Mumbai. During the second innings of the encounter, MI skipper Harmanpreet Kaur used as many as eight different bowlers to have a go against the UPW batters.
This is the most bowlers a team have used in a single WPL innings. The eight bowlers MI used were Shabnim Ismail, Saika Ishaque, Hayley Matthews, Pooja Vastrakar, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amelia Kerr, Amanjot Kaur, and S Sajana.
Various sides have utilised seven bowling options in the WPL in the past but it was the first time a team handed the ball to eight bowlers.
#2 Second-best economical spell in WPL history
One of the fastest bowlers in women's cricket, Shabnim Ismail bowled brilliantly against her former franchise UPW, as she constatntly troubled the batters with her tight lines and lengths.
Ismail kept the asking run rate high as she dished out an extremely frugal spell of 1/6 in her four overs. In fact, this is now the second-most economical spell in WPL history. Ismail, who bowled at an economy rate of 1.5, dismissed Alyssa Healy, and delivered her four overs successively from over 1 to 7.
Only Hayley Matthews (1/5) and Marizanne Kapp (1/5) have bowled more economical spells in WPL history than Ismail.
#3 Sohpie Ecclestone's first wicektless spell in WPL history
Sophie Ecclestone has perhaps been the best player for UP Warriorz across the two seasons. The left-arm spinner has spearheaded the bowling attack with aplomb and has taken 23 wickets at an economy rate of 6.59 across 15 innings.
However, she didn't have a great outing against MI. In fact, it was the first time in her WPL career that Ecclestone failed to take a wicket. She bowled four overs in the game and conceded 30 runs.