MI vs GG, WPL 2025 Eliminator Highlights: Mumbai Indians makes second final after 47-run win against Gujarat Giants

MI vs GG, WPL 2025 Eliminator Highlights: Mumbai Indians makes second final after 47-run win against Gujarat Giants

Matthews with the final over. AND THAT’S ALL! Meghna holes out to Sciver-Brunt as Mumbai Indians beats Gujarat Giants by 47 runs to enter its second WPL final! It will meet Delhi Capitals, a repeat of the WPL 2023 summit clash.

Sciver-Brunt bowling out. Kerr and Ismail combine two save a few runs but next ball, Tanuja holes out to Amanjot at point! MI just one wicket away now.

Tanuja 16 (12) c Amanjot b Sciver-Brunt

OUT! Simran went for the big shot but sends it straight up. Harmanpreet comes beneath it, after a bit of running, and takes the catch! Kerr competing with Matthews for the Purple Cap there!

Simran 17 (8) c Harmanpreet b Kerr

Meghna hits it over the covers for a FOUR to end Kerr’s impressive spell of two for 28.

Amanjot with the ball and Tanuja cheekily reverse-hits it past the short third for a FOUR! And another FOUR! Sanskriti chases after the ball but she’s not able to stop the ball from reaching the boundary. A botched run out attempt and batters take a two.

Fulmali begins the over with a FOUR! She swivels with a shot through backward square leg. Matthews with her third over. Another FOUR! Bharti lobs it over the backward point fielder to find the boundary. OUT! A slow one, just above 70kmph, which rattles Bharti’s stumps as she tries to cut.

Bharti 30 (20) b Matthews

Tanuja Kanwer in at the middle.

Sciver-Brunt back. Sanskriti lets the ball slip from her hands after she was trying to throw it to a teammate. And the ball goes for a FOUR! Simran with a powerful pull to find the boundary for a FOUR through square leg. Simran ends the over with a SIX over mid wicket! Consolation runs now for GG.

Kerr with her third over. Brilliant from the Kiwi leggie as she concedes just three runs from it.

Ismail bowling out. FOUR! Kashvee finds the gap well and scores her first boundary to get off the mark. MIX UP! Kashvee goes for the run but Bharti says no and that’s an easy run out for MI. 

Kerr with another over. Bharti goes big but she cant’ get the distance. Sajana could have tried for the catch but she plays it safe and lets it come to her. A missed opportunity perhaps. FOUR! Bharti finds the gap between deep square leg and deep mid-wicket for a FOUR! OUT! Litchfield comes down the crease but misses the ball. Yastika is quick to stump the Australian out. Huge wicket for MI, huge loss for GG.

Litchfield 31 (20) st Yastika b Kerr

Kashvee Gautam the newest batter at the crease.

Amanjot with the ball. LBW call on Bharti and Harmanpreet takes a review but it’s drifting down leg. Next ball, she muscles the ball as it sails over long off for a SIX!

Matthews with the ball. Litchfield slips while driving the ball towards mid off but a misfield there allows the batters to take a single. OUT! Gibson falls short of her crease and gets run out! Amanjot, who was behind the throw at the striker’s end, has a small celebration!

Gibson 34 (24) run out (Amanjot)

Big-hitter Bharti Fulmali at the crease and Litchfield doesn’t stop finding the boundary! She switch-hits over mid off for a FOUR!

Ismail returns for her second spell. Litchfield uses the field well and smacks it over the mid off fielder for a FOUR! Misfield at fine leg as Litchfield swivels and pulls for another FOUR! Gibson adds another FOUR in this over as she sends the ball to fine leg!

Amelia Kerr with her first over. FOUR! Litchfield uses her feet well and smacks a FOUR down the ground! And then she backs it up with a huge SIX! Good over for GG, a single for Litchfield to retain strike.

Amanjot Kaur brought into the attack. A single and an lbw appeal so far in the over. Umpire not interested. A review shows an inside edge anyway. SIX! Gibson swings and sends the ball over long on for a maximum. CLOSE! An inside edge there pinballed off Litchfield’s feet and almost castled her stumps.

Hayley Matthews with her first over, donning the Purple Cap. SIX! Gardner hits Matthews for a maximum over cow corner. OUT! Gardner swings wildly and completely misses. The delivery removes the off stump bail to send the Australian back to the hut.

Gardner 8 (4) b Matthews

Compatriot Phoebe Litchfield replaces Gardner in the middle. A little fumble there in the deep by Sajana but saves some runs for MI to end the PowerPlay.

Sciver-Brunt returns. SLAP! Tennis-esque smack by Gibson to find the boundary for a FOUR! W hat’s happened there!? The batters look for a quick single but Sanskriti at point unleashes a sharp throw back at Yastika Bhatia who runs out Harleen. Another wicket lost for the chasing side.

Harleen 8 (9) run out (Sanskriti)

Ashleigh Gardner comes out to the middle and takes a single to end the over.

Saika Ishaque handed the ball in the PowerPlay. FOUR! Gibson waits, watches the ball, and reverse-sweeps the ball to third man for a boundary. Next ball right at the block hole, followed by another dot ball. Risky! But it pays off for the English batter! Gibson sweeps it fine for another FOUR!

Ismail continues. Deftly played through square leg for a quick single by Harleen. FOUR! Gibson finds the gap at deep mid-wicket and scores her first boundary. Review taken after the on-field umpire thinks Ismail has caught Harleen lbw. The ball is missing leg stump and Harleen stays on.

Nat Sciver-Brunt with the ball. Great fielding at fine leg by Sanskriti Gupta who saves a couple of runs. Just four runs from it.

Danielle Gibson and Beth Mooney opening for GG. The openers have work cut out for them. Pace ace Shabnim Ismail with the ball. Cover drive by Mooney but good fielding by Sajana inside the circle. Just two runs on that ball. FOUR! Mooney makes space for herself and slashes it over the point fielders for GG’s first boundary! OUT! MOONEY GONE! A thick edge helps the ball fall kindly for Hayley Matthews at first slip. Early breakthrough for MI!

Mooney 6 (5) c Matthews b Ismail

Harleen Deol the newest batter at the crease and a wide ball by Ismail after the wicket. FOUR! Harleen opens her account with a boundary through point.

Harmanpreet on strike here. SIX! Stands and delivers! Launched over long off. SIX more! Opens the bat and powers this over deep cover fence. Wide and a single and it’s the new batter Sajana on strike. They take a quick single and the skipper is back on strike. Last ball of the innings, OUT! Meghna can’t gather the ball but the ball gets off her wrist and into the stumps. 

Harmanpreet Kaur run out (Fulmali/Meghna Singh) 36 (12b)

Gibson to bowl out. FOUR! NSB pulls it with ease to an empty deep square region. DROPPED! Gets a leading edge and skies it, Tanuja had plenty of time to track it but lets it go. FOUR! Goes down the ground this time. OUT! Litchfield makes no mistake at deep midwicket and NSB has to go. 

Nat Sciver-Brunt c Litchfield b Gibson 77 (41)

Tossed up wide and Harmanpreet gets a mighty swing at it over cover for SIX! FOUR! Sliced through point and backward point. Roll it again but it’s a midfield that ends up costly again. FOUR! A single now and NSB on strike. Whipped away to deep midwicket for a run. SIX! Harmanpreet with plenty of muscle on it, sails over deep midwicket. 

Kashvee to bowl out. OUT! GG FINALLY GETS THE BREAKTHROUGH! It’s a nick to Mooney behind the stumps that brings an end to her incredible knock. 

Hayley Matthews c †Mooney b Gautam 77 (50)

In comes Harmanpreet Kaur. Starts with a full delivery to the skipper. Off the mark on the second, a single to deep cover. NSB gets down low and goes towards deep midwicket for a run. Close call! Could have been the game for Harmanpreet but Priya’s leap at short mid wicket fielder wasn’t enough to get the ball. FOUR! Down the ground by NSB to end the over. 

Priya to Matthews, SIX! Skips down and launches it over long on. One more SIX! Well over deep extra cover. FOUR now! Between long on and deep midwicket. A single now and NSB on strike. Litchfield does well at deep midwicket fence to slide, dive and save two runs. 19 runs off the over. 

Timeout. 

Gibson returns for her third over. SIX! NSB brings up her fifty in style! Hammered over long on for a maximum. SIX more! Goes bigger and the ball sails into the stands. Fuller ball, NSB moves behind and lofts it short of the fielder in the deep. DROPPED! Gardner this time. Matthews didn’t time it properly but Gardner running in from long on drops an easy one. A direct hit on the last ball was another missed chance!

Priya back. Down leg and easily put away by Matthews for FOUR! Stopped by the short third fielder, a single taken. NSB slices it to point for one run. Matthews edges it back into her pads. 6 runs off the over. 

Meghns returns. NSB goes far across and tries to scoop it behind but cannot get a good connection. Off her pads. A single to extra cover and Matthews on strike. Wide. Bharti at extra cover does well to stop the ball again. NSB blocks it back to Meghna. She had enough and that’s FOUR! Whacks it between long on and deep midwicket. 

Kashvee returns. Up and over from NSB but fielder running from deep cover does well to save two. FOUR! Misfields galore for GG! Simran couldn’t hold on to the ball again and it rolls away to the fence. Has to struggle to complete the double but NSB manages to get back. A single and Matthews on strike now. A couple of singles to end the over. 

Tanuja back. Fuller and on the stumps, NSB flicks it down to long on. Matthews pulls to deep square leg for a run. A couple of singles. Much tidier over this from the left-arm spinner. SIX! What a way to bring up her 50! Steps to the right and hammers it over deep mid wicket. 

Gardner returns. NSB starts with a single through Matthews’ legs to long on. Matthews too flicks it to long on for a run FOUR! NSB with a tidy reverse scoop that beats the wicketkeeper who tracked it well. Misfield and FOUR! The backward point fielder lets it through. But manages to stop the next one. 

Meghna Singh into the attack. A single to begin with. FOUR! NSB gets a free boundary. Fielder in the deep lets it slip through her hands and the ball rolls away to the fence. They take a couple of singles and NSB is back on strike. Restricted to a single at deep midwicket area. FOUR! Edged and runs away to third man ropes. 

Priya Mishra handed the ball. FOUR! Googly to start but bowled short, Matthews finds the gap in the deep midwicket region. FOUR more! Hangs on her bat foot, slices it past backward point to the fence. Tries to go fuller but bowls a full toss, Matthews puts it away to deep backward square leg. Lithfield does well but ball rolls away to the fence. Two singles follow. Gets the length right and Matthews sticks to a single. 15 runs this over. 

Gibson to Matthews, FOUR! Going down leg and strikes Matthews’ thigh pads, rolls away past the short fine leg fielder to the fence. Four leg byes. Bowling it wide enough to get Matthews to reach out for a swing at it and miss. Waits it out this time and finds a single on the on side. FOUR for NSB! Down leg side, NSB picks the line and pulls between deep square leg and fine leg! FOUR more! Whacks it over mid on to end the over. 

Timeout. 

Tanuja continues. Darts back into NSB who edges it on to her pads. Works the next one to deep midwicket for a run. Reaches forward to slog sweep but doesn’t connect completely, ball falls short of the deep square leg fielder. Nudges it to the off side for a single. FOUR to end the over! NSB walked across the stumps and swept it behind to deep square fence. 

Debutant Danielle Gibson into the attack. OUT! She strikes in her very second ball. A shorter ball and Yastika tries to pull but it gets off the toe-end of the bat. Bharti Fulmali at short mid-wicket takes an easy catch!

Yastika Bhatia c Fulmali b Gibson 15 (14)

NSB off the mark with a strong single to deep square leg. FOUR! Matthews leans back and targets the deep mid-wicket area. 5 runs, 1 wicket – a good start for Gibson. 

Tanuja Kanwer into the attack. FOUR! Tossed up on middle stump, Matthews waited patiently to flick it past mid-wicket. Gets down and slog sweeps to deep mid wicket for a run. Yastike skips down but is hit on the pads. Gets back in her crease in time. FOUR! Driven through an empty cover region. ANother 10-run over. 

Kashvee back, and FOUR! Yastika gets her reverse scoop right and the ball rolls safely to short third fence. FOUR more! Short and wide, easy picking for Yastika who pierces the gap between point and backward point. Going around the wicket now. Two dots to the left-hander now. Steps forward and drives it to deep cover for a run. A quick single to mid on and that’s 10 runs this over. 

Skipper Ashleigh Gardner from the other end. FOUR! Plenty of width, Matthews uses the face of the bat to move the ball through point. Mooney misses a big opportunity! Matthews nicked one behind but the ball bounced off the gloves. Just the boundary off the over. 

Hayley Matthews and Yastika Bhatia to open for MI. Kashvee Gautam with the new ball. Starts with a dot, ball staying low and swings away from Yastika. Cuts it to deep point and takes a single. In-form Matthews on strike. Shapes it back into off stump, Matthews defends. Tucked into the deep square region for a run. Yastika tried to go the reverse way but her attempt to scoop behind the keeper was to no yield. 2 runs. 

A resurgent Gujarat side has its middle-order to thank for playing a pivotal role in the team’s first-ever playoffs qualification, accounting for 58 per cent (692 runs) of the team’s total runs this season.

Ashleigh Gardner (235 runs), Deandra Dottin (142 runs), and Bharti Fulmali (103 runs) were key contributors.

READ MORE:

Beth Mooney (wk), Danielle Gibson, Harleen Deol, Ashleigh Gardner (c), Phoebe Litchfield, Kashvee Gautam, Bharti Fulmali, Simran Shaikh, Tanuja Kanwer, Meghna Singh, Priya Mishra

Hayley Matthews, Amelia Kerr, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Amanjot Kaur, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Sajeevan Sajana, G Kamalini, Sanskriti Gupta, Shabnim Ismail, Saika Ishaque

Gujarat Giants wins the toss and elects to bowl first.

BIG NEWS! Deandra Dottin has to sit out this Eliminator as Danielle Gibson steps in as a last moment change, skipper Ashleigh Gardner says at the toss.

One change for MI too. Parunika Sisodia out for Saika Ishaque.

“The wicket’s not green, it’s a bit brownish,” Mithali Raj says. The former India skipper predicts some help for the seamers early on before the strip eases up for the batters. There’s a possibility of things to get slower as the match goes on.

Deandra Dottin, known for her sheer power and penchant for the maximums, has been more clinical with the ball in WPL 2025, coming in for Gujarat as a strike bowler in the PowerPlay and in the death.

The ‘World Boss’, as her name goes in the women’s game, has lit up the WPL but not in her usual style.

The all-rounder spoke to Lavanya Lakshmi Narayanan ahead of the all-important Eliminator: 

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With a 6-0 record against the Gujarat Giants (GG), Mumbai Indians (MI) has every right to go into the Women’s Premier League Eliminator on Thursday with a fair amount of confidence. 

However, as GG head coach Michael Klinger gushed after their league encounter a few days ago, it has given Mumbai a bit of a scare.

Read the preview by Lavanya Lakshmi Narayanan:

It’s the penultimate match of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025 with the Mumbai Indians taking on Gujarat Giants for the final spot.