WPL 2023: Harmanpreet Kaur and Saika Ishaque shine as Mumbai Indians beat UP Warriorz by 8 wickets

Mumbai Indians maintained their unbeaten run in the Women's Premier League (WPL), beating UP Warriorz by eight wickets to win their fourth consecutive match thanks to captain Harmanpreet Kaur's fifty after a three-wicket haul by Saika Ishaque on Sunday (March 12).

Mumbai Indians' Hayley Matthews and Yastika Bhatia got off to a brilliant start, adding 58 runs for the first wicket. The entertaining match briefly turned ugly as the competition witnessed an on-field controversy. 

Matthews was given out after a ball tracking proved that it hit the middle of the middle off the bowling of Sophie Ecclestone. However, Matthews stood in disbelief and asked for a review of the umpire's review. Although UP Warriorz captain Alyssa Healy and Ecclestone tried to talk to Matthews, the umpire gave into the West Indian's review.

The television review showed that the sound and spike came off the bat which grazzed the pad instead of the ball hitting the boot. Subsequently, Matthews survived in the fifth over in the 160-run chase.

UP Warriorz got the breakthough as Rajeshwari Gayakwad removed Yastika for 42. Soon after, Matthews had to walk back to the dugout as Ecclestone caught and bowled Matthews for 12 in the eighth over.

Nat Sciver-Brunt (45*) and captain Harmanpreet Kaur



(53*) maintained the tempo of their side's innings, hitting back-to-back boundaries. The duo chased down the target with 15 balls to spare.

Earlier, captain Alyssa Healy and Tahlai McGrath's fifties lifted UP Warriorz to 159/6. Team UPW suffered an early hiccup, losing Devika Vaidya (6) off the bowling of purple-cap holder Saika Ishaque.

Healy and Kiran Navgire quickly recovered the side as it was raining boundaries at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. The duo added fifty runs for the second wicket before Navgire (17) got a leading edge as wicket-keeper Yastika Bhatia completed the high catch.

The onus shifted on the Australians - Healy and Tahlia McGrath - and the duo, who are fresh on T20 World Cup glory, did not disappoint. Healy and McGrath took UP Warriorz over the 100-run mark in the 12th over.

However, in the death overs, when they needed to go big, Healy (58) was trapped in front by Ishaque, bringing an end to an 82-run partnership for the third wicket. One brought two as Ishaque got rid of McGrath (50) in the same 17th over.

UP Warriorz's tailenders, including Shweta Sehrawat, who despite being a top-order batter was sent in at number eight, could not do much. For Mumbai Indians, Ishaque returned with three wickets, Amelia Kerr picked two and Matthews took one.