WPL: Mumbai Indians beat UP Warriorz for fourth win on the trot

Ishaque
led
Mumbai
Indians’ fightback
with
the
ball
to
derail
UP
Warriorz,
who
looked
set
to
register
a
competitive
total
after
half-centuries
from
Alyssa
Healy
(58)
and
Tahlia
McGrath
(50).

UP
Warriorz
slumped
from
140
for
3
in
the
17th
over
to
finish
at
159
for
6
after
electing
to
bat,
and
with
160
to
get,
Mumbai
Indians
overhauled
the
target
on
the
back
of
Harmanpreet’s
half-century
and
Nat
Sciver-Brunt’s
45
not
out,
with
Yastika
Bhaita
(42)
playing
a
strong
hand
at
the
top.

Harmanpreet
and
Sciver-Brunt
added
an
unbeaten
106
for
the
third
wicket
as
Mumbai
Indians
reached
164
for
2
in
17.3
overs.

Bhatia
took
the
initiative
of
scoring
at
the
top,
contributing
heavily
in
her
58-run
stand
for
the
opening
wicket
with
Hayley
Matthews
(12).

After
a
flurry
of
boundaries
in
the
powerplay,
Bhatia
sent
the
ball
flying
over
long-on
off
Rajeshwari
Gayakwad
in
the
seventh
over.
But
on
the
next
ball,
she
played
straight
to
Simran
Sheikh
at
deep
midwicket,
perishing
for
42
off
27
balls
with
eight
fours
and
a
six.

There
was
drama
in
the
fifth
over
when
Sophie
Ecclestone
trapped
Matthews
leg-before
and
UP
Warriorz
were
forced
to
take
a
DRS
appeal
successfully.
The
batter
had
a
word
with
the
umpire
and
the
bowler,
as
it
turned
out
that
a
different
delivery
was
shown
on
the
review.

Matthews’ surprisingly
slow
innings,
however,
ended
at
12
off
17
balls
when
she
gave
a
simple
return
catch
to
Ecclestone.

Both
Harmanpreet
and
Sciver-Brunt
had
luck
on
their
side
in
the
11th
over
as
they
looked
to
rebuild.
Anjali
Sarvani
bowled
Harmanpreet
around
the
legs,
but
the
bails
did
not
come
off,
and
Sciver-Brunt
did
well
to
make
the
crease
just
in
time
to
survive
a
direct
hit
from
Sheikh
at
cover.

In
the
14th
over,
Ecclestone
failed
to
grab
a
tough
chance
at
cover
off
Gayakwad
to
dismiss
Sciver-Brunt
on
22,
and
Harmanpreet
added
insult
to
injury
by
hitting
consecutive
fours.

Harmanpreet
recorded
her
second
fifty
in
WPL,
hitting
nine
fours
and
one
six
to
make
53
not
out
from
33
balls
while
Sciver-Brunt
played
yet
another
match-winning
knock
of
45
not
out
from
31
balls
with
six
fours
and
one
six.

Earlier
in
the
first
half,
Ishaque
claimed
three
wickets
for
33
runs
to
help
Mumbai
Indians
apply
brakes
on
UP
Warriorz
charge.

Ishaque
gave
away
10
boundaries
in
her
four-over
spell,
but
she
broke
through
at
the
top,
dismissing
Devika
Vaidya
early
in
the
powerplay.
She
returned
for
her
last
in
the
17th
over,
removing
Healy
and
McGrath
from
the
equation
within
one
over
to
pull
things
back
in
Mumbai’s
control.

Ishaque
took
her
wickets
tally
to
12
in
just
four
WPL
games
so
far,
cementing
her
position
as
Mumbai
Indians’
go-to
bowler
when
in
need
of
breakthroughs.

Healy
did
the
bulk
of
the
scoring
at
the
top,
adding
50
runs
for
the
second
wicket
with
Kiran
Navgire
(17)
and
in
the
company
of
her
compatriot
Tahlia
McGrath,
the
UP
Warriorz
captain
added
another
82
runs
to
lay
the
platform
for
a
strong
total.

Even
though
UP
Warriorz
formed
vital
partnerships
in
the
middle,
at
no
stage
did
they
really
launch
an
all-out
attack
against
the
Mumbai
bowlers,
who
for
the
first
time
in
four
matches
were
pushed
on
the
backfoot.

Both
Healy
and
McGrath
got
their
second
half-centuries
respectively
of
the
tournament.
The
UP
Warriorz
captain,
who
made
a
match-winning
96
not
out
in
the
last
match
against
Delhi
Capitals,
scored
a
46-ball
58
with
seven
fours
and
a
six.

On
the
other
hand,
the
most
impressive
batter
in
the
UP
Warriorz
ranks
was
McGrath,
who
pierced
the
field
at
will,
rotated
the
strike
with
ease
and
played
some
superb
strokes
on
the
off-side
with
timing
and
precision.

The
lanky
Australia
and
UP
Warriorz
all-rounder
finished
at
50
from
37
balls,
hitting
nine
fours
in
the
process.