MI vs GG, WPL Highlights: Harmanpreet Kaur, Nicola Carey guide Mumbai Indians through; Gujarat lose first game of season

Shabnim Ismail to Kanika Ahuja, Back of a length, outside off, Kanika Ahuja looks to play at it but misses.

No fireworks for Sophie Devine tonight. Kanika Ahuja walks in to bat now.

Shabnim Ismail to Sophie Devine, OUT! EDGED AND TAKEN! G Kamalini redeems herself, and Shabnim Ismail is all smiles. Skiddy length ball, outside off. Sophie Devine throws her bat to carve it through the off-side. She gets a thick outside edge that goes low to the right of G Kamalini, who moves nicely and hangs onto a sharp chance. Sophie Devine departs early today. 

Shabnim Ismail to Beth Mooney, Full pitcher, outside off. Beth Mooney drives this to Nicola Carey at the point region. A bit of misfield from Carey and the batters cross for a single.

Shabnim Ismail to Beth Mooney, Short of a good length, on the leg pole. Beth Mooney makes room and knocks it into the cover region.

Shabnim Ismail to Beth Mooney, Back of a length, around the hip. Beth Mooney tucks this through the square leg region for a couple.

Hayley Matthews to Sophie Devine, FOUR! 18 runs off the over, and the Gujarat Giants are up and running! Tossed up full, on off. Sophie Devine gets on her knee and slogs it hard toward deep mid-wicket for a cracking boundary.

Hayley Matthews to Sophie Devine, Quicker arm ball at the stumps. Sophie Devine knocks this back to the bowler.

Hayley Matthews to Sophie Devine, FOUR! Not off the middle, but Devine will take it! Flighted full, turning into the middle. Sophie Devine sits low and slogs it off the inner half through the vacant backward square leg region for  boundary to get off the mark.

Hayley Matthews to Sophie Devine, WIDE! Flatter and drifting down the leg. Sophie Devine plays and misses. Wide signaled by the umpire.

Hayley Matthews to Beth Mooney, Fuller and quicker at the stumps. Mooney eases it down to long on for a single.

Hayley Matthews to Beth Mooney, FOUR MORE! Punished! A low full toss, outside off. Beth Mooney comes on the front foot and creams the drive, through the covers for back to back boundaries.

Hayley Matthews to Beth Mooney, FOUR! Hayley Matthews is greeted in style! Tossed up full, just outside off. Beth Mooney gets forward and drives it nicely through the gap at extra cover for a lovely boundary.

Who will share the attack? It will be the spin of Hayley Matthews.

Shabnim Ismail to Beth Mooney, The Gujarat Giants are away! Fuller than a length, outside off. Beth Mooney drives this to wide of mid off and gets off the mark with a single.

Shabnim Ismail to Beth Mooney, EDGED AND DROPPED! Shabnim Ismail had already started celebrating, but what have you done, G Kamalini? It was a short of a good length delivery, just outside off. Beth Mooney has a poke at it and gets the outside edge that goes to the left of Kamalini, who puts down a simple chance. How costly will this be for the Mumbai Indians. Hopefully, not a lot. 

Shabnim Ismail to Beth Mooney, Short of a good length, on off. Beth Mooney rides the bounce and defends it in front of the point fielder. This has been a brilliant over so far from Shabnim Ismail.

Shabnim Ismail to Beth Mooney, Lands it on a length, and pushed across the batter. Beth Mooney makes room to carve it through covers but fails to connect. Three dots in a row.

Shabnim Ismail to Beth Mooney, Skiddy length ball, around off. Beth Mooney dabs this toward backward point.

Shabnim Ismail to Beth Mooney, Shabnim Ismail starts with a fuller than a good length delivery, just outside off. Beth Mooney drives this toward mid off.

All set now for the action to commence. The umpires stride out to the middle as the Mumbai Indians gather in a final huddle near the ropes, Harmanpreet Kaur delivering the last few words before they fan out across the field. Out walk the Gujarat Giants openers, Sophie Devine and Beth Mooney. It’s Shabnim Ismail with the new ball for the Mumbai Indians. Let’s play...

Georgia Wareham from the Gujarat Giants is in for a chat. She acknowledges the high pressure on the field and praises her teammate's ability to restrict runs, noting that the fast outfield leaves bowlers with no margin for error and requires absolute precision. She expresses relief at being on the same side as the explosive Sophie Devine this time, enjoying the strong batting displays from her, Beth Mooney, and Ash Gardner. Looking ahead, Wareham identifies Nat Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet Kaur as key wickets, emphasizing the urgent need to improve their bowling discipline and limit the opposition to lower totals.

Ashleigh Gardner, the captain of Gujarat Giants, joked that she just can’t seem to win the toss at the moment. She said the team has plenty of firepower at the top of the order, with Beth Mooney and Sophie Devine bringing vast experience and a strong understanding from having played together for a long time. Gardner added that this ground is difficult to defend on and hoped that the Mumbai Indians would not end up chasing. She emphasized that while the overseas players provide valuable experience, it is the Indian players who ultimately win tournaments. She noted that most of the players have contributed at different times, stressing the importance of celebrating small wins and maintaining a positive team environment. Gardner concluded by confirming that Anushka Sharma misses out due to injury, with Ayushi Soni set to make her debut.

Harmanpreet Kaur, the Mumbai Indians captain, wins the toss and elects to bowl first. She explains that in T20 cricket, especially in night games, chasing is often the preferred option. She says the team is ticking all the boxes discussed in the meetings, with the bowlers executing their plans well. Harmanpreet adds that the batters are looking to play positively during the first six overs. She also confirms that Hayley Matthews is fit and back in the side, while Nat Sciver-Brunt is unfortunately unwell today. Praising Matthews’ all-round abilities, Harmanpreet highlights her impact with both bat and ball and hopes she will take responsibility for the team.

Mumbai Indians (Playing XI) - Amelia Kerr, Hayley Matthews (in for Nat Sciver-Brunt), G Kamalini(WK), Harmanpreet Kaur(C), Nicola Carey, Sajana Sajeevan, Amanjot Kaur, Poonam Khemnar, Sanskriti Gupta, Shabnim Ismail, Triveni Vasistha. 

Gujarat Giants (Playing XI) - Beth Mooney(WK), Sophie Devine, Ashleigh Gardner(C), Georgia Wareham, Ayushi Soni (in for Anushka Sharma), Bharti Fulmali, Kanika Ahuja, Kashvee Gautam, Tanuja Kanwer, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Renuka Singh Thakur.

TOSS - It's toss time in the middle. Harmanpreet Kaur will flip the coin. Ashleigh Gardner calls it tails, and it comes down as 'Heads'. Mumbai Indians have opted to BOWL.