WPL 2023: Top batting performances of first week

6. Harmanpreet Kaur’s 65 vs Gujarat Giants

In the first match of the WPL, MI and GG were looking forward to starting their campaign with a victory. Winning the toss, GG skipper Beth Mooney invited MI to bat first. In the third over of the match, MI lost Yastika Bhatia cheaply as the opener could contribute only 1 run to her team in eight deliveries. With the solid batting of Hayley Matthews and Nat Sciver-Brunt, MI came back into the match, but in 10 overs the loss of both batters pushed the team again into a perilous situation.

Taking the matter into her hands, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur led from the front and took her team to a commanding position in the game. Along with youngster Amelia Kerr, she stitched a huge partnership of 89 runs. The veteran’s innings ended on the last delivery of the 17th over as she was removed on 65(30) by Sneh Rana.

Her swift innings was studded with 14 fours and helped her team to post a mammoth target of 208 runs to the opponents. During her innings, she also achieved the feat of hitting seven consecutive fours. Her ferocious knock boosted the confidence of her bowlers as they folded GG on 64 runs.