WPL 2023: Orange cap and Purple cap standings after Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Giants match (Updated)
The inaugural clash of the Women's Premier League (WPL) saw the Mumbai Indians (MI) against the Gujarat Giants (GG) at the DY Patil Stadium on Saturday, March 4. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side won the match by 143 runs to begin their campaign on a high and set things rolling.
GG won the toss and elected to bowl first. The No.1 all-rounder in the world, Australia's Ashleigh Gardner, started the proceedings while Yastika Bhatia took guard.
GG struck early with the wicket of Yastika Bhatia, but were pegged back by a healthy partnership between the overseas pair of Hayley Matthews and Nat Sciver-Brunt.
𝘼 𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙!
An electrifying atmosphere here at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai ⚡️👌👌
#TATAWPL | #GGvMI https://t.co/uiQ50kbKtF
Leg-spinner Georgia Wareham and Ashleigh Gardner struck twice in quick succession to remove both batters to place MI at 77-3 at the halfway mark of the first innings.
MI only dealt with boundaries in the second half of the innings as they racked up yet another monumental partnership for the fourth wicket, while skipper Harmanpreet lit the venue with a half-century. The final flourishes were applied by Pooja Vastrakar and Amelia Kerr as MI finished with a mammoth total of 207-5 in the first innings.
GG had a nightmarish powerplay after skipper Beth Mooney had to limp off due to injury. Wickets tumbled under the new ball as they were reduced to 17-4 after six overs. They were eventually bundled out for 64 runs to wrap up the contest and give MI a huge win to begin their campaign.
WPL 2023 Orange Cap List Updated
MI skipper Harmanpreet Kaur scored the first half-century in WPL history and her breezy knock ended with her scoring an explosive 65 runs off 30 deliveries. Her innings included 13 fours and a whopping strike rate of 216.67. The stunning knock puts her in first position on the Orange Cap list.
Opening batter Hayley Matthews made her initial impression after only being sold for her base price at the inaugural WPL auction. She was blazing in the powerplay and scored a bright 47-run knock, off 31 deliveries, to finish up in the second position after the first match.
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Captain @ImHarmanpreet led from the front with a stellar 65 off 30 deliveries as she becomes our Top Performer from the first innings! 👏🏻
Take a look at her batting summary ✅
#TATAWPL | #GGvMI https://t.co/VmBk7D2ytJ
None of the GG batters were able to compile double figures as they were bowled out for a paltry Dayalan Hemalatha waged a lone battle to salvage a respectable total for GG in the run chase. She scored an unbeaten 29 off 23 deliveries to occupy the fourth spot after the first match, just behind Amelia Kerr, who scored 45 runs.
WPL 2023 Purple Cap List Updated
The MI bowlers were all over the GG batters from the word go. Nat Sciver and Alex Wong made the new ball talk as they claimed three wickets in the powerplay. The pacers ended the contest with figures of 2-5 and 1-7, with the England international claiming second place.
However, it was left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque who ended up at the top of the Purple Cap list after claiming four wickets for just 11 runs with five balls to spare in her spell.
Amelia Kerr began her spell with a double-wicket maiden and finished with tidy figures of 2-12, to end third on the list.
From the GG camp, Sneh Rana finds herself on the Purple Cap list after taking the wickets of fellow national teammates Harmanpreet Kaur and Sneh Rana to end with 2-43 in the first contest.
Despite beginning her spell on a positive note, which also included the key wicket of Hayley Matthews, things took a turn for the worse for Ashleigh Gardner. The off-spinner conceded runs in her last two overs to finish with 1-38.
Are MI among the favorites to win the inaugural WPL? Let us know what you think.