Harmanpreet Kaur’s lusty hitting trumped the range-hitting masterclass of Beth Mooney and Dayalan Hemalatha as holders Mumbai Indians defeated Gujarat Giants by seven wickets in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) at the Ferozeshah Kotla here on Saturday.A chase that looked like going nowhere got an injection of enterprise from skipper Kaur who unfurled her full bouquet of strokes as MI chased down GG’s 190/7 with a ball to spare. MI regained the lead in the points table while GG are at the bottom.

Kaur’s unbeaten 48-ball 95 was studded with ten fours and five towering sixes as she went into a dramatic overdrive after being dropped in the 16th over at long on. Then on a 30-ball 44, the MI skipper plundered 24 runs in the 18th over bowled by Sneh Rana to bring the equation down to 23 off 12. 

She hit a six in the 10-run 19th over and all but sealed the game with six and a four off the first two balls of the last over as MI, after struggling for much of the middle overs, completed the memorable heist. Mooney and Hemalatha had combined for a 121-run alliance (62 balls) for the second wicket to put GG on course for a 200-plus tally. The pitched slowed down post the 15-over mark and GG kept losing wickets at regular intervals to fall at least 20 runs short on a placid track.

GG’s batting was a Mooney and Hemalatha show as the duo tore into MI’s bowling with consummate ease. Saika Ishaque was welcomed with an 11-run over while Nat Sciver-Brunt was greeted with a straight six by Mooney in a 13-run over. Pooja Vastrakar’s opening over had a boundary each from both batters whereas Amanjot Kaur and Amelia Kerr bled 10 and 15 runs respectively in their first overs. While Mooney showed her range against spin, Hemalatha was particularly impressive in front of square. In the 13th over, bowled by Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hemalatha’s power and timing were on full display when she casually flicked a low full toss on leg stump into the stands. GG raised their 100 in 9.5 overs but their last four overs produced only 30 runs at the cost of three wickets. Overall, MI took seven wickets in the last seven overs, giving away just 51 runs.