Shabnim Ismail intended to bring smile to everyone’s face with her efforts: Reema Malhotra

The Mumbai Indians won their second match of the WPL 2024, beating Gujarat Giants by five wickets on Sunday, chasing a target of 127 runs. JioCinema and Sports18 WPL experts Reema Malhotra and Sushma Verma discussed the match-winning performances from Harmanpreet Kaur (46* runs), Shabnim Ismail (3/18), and player-of-the-match Amelia Kerr (4/17 & 31 runs) on ‘Match Center Live’. Excerpts:

Reema Malhotra spoke on Shabnim Ismail's spell: “The line of attack she maintained, the lengths she hit, Shabnim Ismail intended to bring a smile to everyone’s face. If you have a pacey, sharp, and experienced bowler, they'll definitely be match-winners for you. Last year, the UP Warriorz didn’t play her much and then released her this season. That’s a mistake on top of a mistake.”

Sushma Verma spoke on Harmanpreet Kaur’s knock: “She’s a champion player and knows how to perform on different platforms. When you’re a player with so much versatility in your shots, and experience, and have been a performer for India, form is not a big deal. Harman has proven in back-to-back games of the quality of a batter she is.”

Amelia Kerr is an all-rounder which you rarely see: Reema Malhotra

Reema Malhotra, on Amelia Kerr’s all-round performance: “She’s a complete all-rounder. She bowls just as well as she bats and you rarely see all-rounders like that. You see Perry, Kapp, and then it’s Amelia Kerr. This (MI) is a complete team with a number of match-winners, something most teams have. But it’s about how they play together. When you slap someone, you don’t hurt them with a finger, you hurt them with your whole hand. That’s what Mumbai does, they land a complete punch. They see how everyone is performing as a whole, as a bowling unit, and as a batting unit.”